Lockdown Revisited

Lockdown 2.0
Here we go again. Personally, I think it was unnecessary, but enough politics already. 

Lockdown the Sequel confirmed once more that you can never step into the same river twice. Probably for the better, as I, for one, would not like to go through the same volume of panic and fear per square inch as before. The fear is still there, and it’s real, but I think we managed to tame it a little and get on with it.

The decision to keep the schools open this time round meant that, for our household at least, life changed very little on the 5th of November.  We experienced none of the late March nationwide lull and Netflix.  Alarm clocks still went off at 6.00 each weekday morning, and continued going off for half an hour in regular intervals, until our younger girl got up and woke up her sister. 

Courts stayed open this time round, which meant I was frequently out and about myself. 
My husband, the two cats, and Charlie the hedgehog remained as blissfully relaxed and removed from any stresses of everyday life as they had always been. 

During springtime lockdown, I missed the theatre and the school concerts, I mourned the lack of Easter holiday, and the cancellation of summer family trip to South Africa. I missed the Sunday markets, weekend catch-ups with friends, strolls around art galleries, bookshops, pet shops, garden centres, and impromptu meals in quirky out of the way restaurants. 

What did I miss this time round? Ice-skating Sundays, Everyman cinema, John Lewis Oxford Street and Cafe Nero with friends. I am acutely aware how short this list is, and it is actually quite concerning. Is my world shrinking? What if this is irreversible? Life feels comfortable and cosy. Too comfortable and too cosy. Laziness is no longer frowned upon. Why would it be?

When the second lockdown was first announced, I felt a short-lived spark of excitement. I know, pathetic. For a day or two I was kidding myself that this time round I was going to do things differently. This time I was going to do it right, actually going to do something with all the extra time. There would be no banana bread, and no Joe Wicks, but also no bingeing on Netflix.  I was going to start with a proper spring clean. November sounded as good a month for it as any, it is still 2020 after all.  I had so many plans.

And then, life happened, and as we are entering the last few days of Part 2, I have nothing to show for it. I have embraced the new normal.    

What I have learnt since last lockdown ended. 

Putting my phone in airplane mode will be the closest I am going to come to flying anywhere anytime soon.  

Given time, there is no limit to what humans can get used to, and do without.

My body’s resistance to starting a fitness regime is stronger than previously thought. 

Life goes on.