What Will You Take Away From Lockdown?

With coronavirus lockdown restrictions starting to ease, it seems we can finally look forward to a return to some sense of normality quite soon.

We’re not sure what that normality might look like, of course. Will social distancing remain in place? Will we have to wear masks in crowded places for an extended period? Will the pandemic return?

It’s unclear at the moment.

But what is clear is that — provided they are implemented safely — the changes will be welcome after so long living under a shadow.

But that’s not to say that our “new” way of life has been necessarily been all bad.

In fact, some of us have used the time available to take positive steps in regards to our health, our mental wellbeing, and maintaining our relationships.

How much of this will we carry over into a post-lockdown world?

Here are my takeaways:

Photograph by Iain McDonald.

Exercise

OK, so my commitment to this hasn’t been as steadfast as that of some others.

Mrs Digital Ed has made a much better fist of this than me. Between the crosstrainer (pictured above, just to prove that it exists), yoga and working with weights, she’s basically a fitness instructor now.

The difficulty will come in keeping all of that up when we’re all back in the office, and time in the morning/evening is at more of a premium.

But I think she can do it. And I can . . . be in the living room while it happens.

Photograph by Iain McDonald.

Beer deliveries

I’ll have less of a hard time keeping this habit up . . .

A knock on the door. A box full of beer (or wine, or spirits ⁠— they don’t discriminate). How could you resist?

Although pubs will be opening up around the country soon, I’m going to take it easy on attendance for a little while.

Turns out there are plenty of local breweries in the vicinity who are keen to help!

Video chats

Photograph by Iain McDonald.

Before lockdown, video chats happened extremely infrequently — usually with distant relatives, who live in distant places.

During lockdown, they probably reached their peak, becoming a substitute for then-verboten physical interaction.

After lockdown? 

Well, staying in touch by text message is good when everyone’s living a busy life.

But there’s probably no substitute for being able to see one another every now and again. Even virtually.

Disclaimer: not my family. iStock.

More time spent with family

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”, according to the proverb/cliché.

But, for me at least, it’s turned out to be true.

Now that we can congregate once again, I find I’m looking forward to family gatherings more than perhaps I did before.

I hope I don’t take them for granted again.

. . . maybe not so many quizzes

They were a good way to focus the weekly video calls during the early days.

An activity that everyone could involved in; something to look forward to.

Now I think it’s time they returned to their natural habitat: pubs on quiet nights.

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