The Horrors of Returning to Normal

 Coming out of lockdown has been hard. Excrutiating even. But we're getting there. 

I called a friend this afternoon. It's taken a month for me to get hold of her and I was starting to get worried. Turns out she's okay, jut having some trouble readjusting to 'COVID-Normal' life. 

To be honest, I know what she's talking about.

I quite liked lockdown. Everything was on my terms. I could hang out with my cat with no guilt or shame. Everything was done over the internet. Going for a walk was special. You had to wear a mask all the time so you got to hide away.

All that is over now.

And like my friend, I've had some trouble readjusting. Okay, I'm not in as bad a shape as my friend, who is really struggling - but I'll admit that this returning to society has been harder than I thought it was going to be. 

There have been some great things to come out of lockdown:

• Meat is now bought from the butcher - not the supermarket
• Friends are cherished even more
• Human touch is worshippedeven more than it was before
• The relationship with my cat is strong - strong enough to believe I can drive him to Adelaide in a few weeks.
• I'm finally having a good chuck out at home.
• I'm reading more
• I've written every day and I'm in the habit (just have to get back to that bloody novel)
• The guys at the coffee shop know my order
• I've get a few more local friends

I choose to look at this. I'm pretty much out of my funk. I made the gentle suggestion to my friend to have a talk to her GP to help her get some counselling. He struggles are greater than mine.

Another thing which has to be different this year is the lolly bags for our annual book choosing at book group. The normal order for the lollies include clinkers, liquourice allsorts, jaffas and lemon sherberts. 

This year, for the book choosing, we need all our lollies to be wrapped. This is more expensive than getting the unwrapped sort. I went to the supermarket tonight, got the lollies ready to bag them up in the week. We have minties, Redskins (which are getting renamed soon), Starbursts and chocolate eclairs. All wrapped. All ready to be put in the bag with a rubber glove. 

But it's not the same. 

Might collect up the lollies after the vote and take them in to the guys at our normal restaurant.

Another think I want to get back to - the office, and La Camera for book group.

I'll stop whining now. 

Today's Song: