‘I know lockdown has been really rough for people across the world. For me, life hasn’t changed dramatically, but there have certainly been aspects I’ve enjoyed. These are the things I’ll miss about lockdown…

 

Wearing jogging bottoms to work

I can’t begin to tell you how great it’s been to get dressed for work in the mornings and not have to pick out anything that actually looks like I’ve made an effort. When lockdown first hit, I still wore my usual office attire. After a week or so I began to wonder what the point was. I wasn’t seeing any customers, the streets were deserted and, on more than a few occasions, I was in the office all by myself.

I made a gradual transition from smart to casual to looking like I’d just woke up. I have zero regrets. I genuinely don’t know how I’m going to cope when I have to wear something that’s not made of fleecy cotton or has an elasticated waist.

Driving on deserted roads

Driving between 30 and 60 miles to work each day on roads with very few other cars has been my idea of heaven. Not only can I sing along at the top of my voice without fear of someone staring at me from a passing vehicle, but I can also get everywhere much more quickly.

I live in a tourist hotspot, so roads can be hell during good weather, bank holidays, weekends, and basically any time someone comes to visit; which is always. It’s been lovely knowing I won’t get stuck behind drivers who’ve never been on a bendy country lane before and drive at 20 mph from one beach town to another. I also don’t miss getting stuck behind a caravan of, well…caravans. They’re pretty difficult to overtake.

Singing along to my music when I’m out for a run

I’ve noticed this a great deal over recent months when I’ve taken to running along the Mawddach Trail in Dolgellau on my lunch hour. Being a bit of an introvert, I would never normally dare sing out loud in public for fear I’d meet someone coming in the opposite direction.

In the recent past, this hasn’t been an issue as I’ve barely seen another soul (livestock aside). This has led to more and more singing aloud to my running playlist. This would be bad at the best of times, but I do it with my earbuds in, so I’m probably not even singing in tune. Brandon Flowers would be horrified if he knew.

Not washing my hair every day

Clearly, it would have been wrong for me to dress in my joggies to attend work while I was all glammed up with hair and makeup done. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re going to do something, you might as well go the whole hog. I have gone actual DAYS without washing my hair and it’s been so refreshing not to worry about it. I’m probably the talk of the local Co-op but, do I care? No. No, I don’t

Not having to make excuses not to go out

I don’t like going out. I don’t really like parties and I’m not a fan of crowds. This makes me a fairly difficult person to go out with. Being an introvert, it takes me a few weekends at home to recover from a single night on the town. The constant interaction and need to be at your best on a night out is, quite frankly, exhausting.

Lockdown is every introvert’s dream situation. No more excuses not to go out because there have been no invitations. You can genuinely use the line: ‘sorry, there’s a global pandemic and I’m not allowed out of the house for 3 months’ knowing that, for once, it’s actually true.

If I’m being honest,  I’ve always been a *little* bit jealous of Rick and the crew in The Walking Dead and now I truly know why. Living in a world with hardly any people and having so much space to yourself is amazing. I’m not so keen on the whole ‘zombie’ thing but, if pushed, I think I could make it work.

Not having to roll my eyes every time two people decide to chat across the aisle in the supermarket, blocking my path

This is one of my pet hates. Why can’t people just stick to the same side of the aisle when they meet each other? Why do they insist on chatting across the aisle and then stare at you blankly when you try to get past?  And why are they always *always* blocking something you want to buy?

Lockdown has stopped this practice dead. Now that everyone has to follow each other around a one-way system, no one can indulge in sharing the latest neighbourhood gossip in the middle of Tesco. I hope the current system stays in place because it’s been months since I screamed: ‘YOU’RE BLOCKING ACCESS TO THE CHOCOLATE HOB NOBS, KAREN!’ at a random stranger.

What are the things you’ll miss about lockdown?

 

Suz xx