To miss the first lockdown?

@DissDissOrDiss we work in an industry like that too - so many people we know lost businesses/lifesavings and it was like this for around 18 months too .

There were definitely nice things about it. Our children were teens and often talk about all the family time we had. I think they’ve forgotten the boring bits.

MIss it like a hole in the head 🙄

Oh, absolutely more awful than positive for the population/world at large, but, subjectively, on an individual basis, that’s not universally true

There were elements that I loved, that I will try and recreate in the future- seeing more wildlife wandering around (a deer appeared in my suburban next door neighbour's garden!), the quiet, simple pleasures like having my two sons home more and going for the daily walk/run with them. I hope to move to the country in a few years so will look forward to some of that.

But... DP worked throughout, in the police, with insufficient PPE. My mother had a series of falls, then was admitted to hospital where she had a stroke. She went from there to a care home, and she died there. The worst thing about that was that they allowed only one family member to visit as she lay dying- I'm one of six siblings, so we had to decide who got to go and say goodbye. And when my brother sat by her bedside, he was barked at and told not to touch her hand.

I choose, on a personal level, to remember the better bits, because to do otherwise would be too heartbreaking.

My experience was similar. DH and I suffered a calamitous, life-changing event in 2019 and both of us had breakdowns. I honestly thought we’d never come through it. Then when lockdown happened it was though we’d been taken out of the world and cocooned in a place that gave us the chance to recover.

I can still appreciate that for huge swathes of people, Covid was the worst event of their lives and I take my hat off to all those who worked and struggled through it to keep us safe. But for us, it felt like exactly what we needed, when we needed it. If it hadn’t happened I’m sure I’d be dead now.

Some of us were working frontline jobs with a toddler and no childcare, whilst putting our families at risk daily. Sorry you miss doing nothing and cultivating your sour dough starter, but I wouldn't wish it back in a million years. It was absolute hell.

I don't suppose the OP was trying to deal with 2 sets of frail elderly parents who desperately needed help but were terrified we'd be arrested if we drove an hour to see them. Or a DS who had previously tried to commit suicide on furlough terrified of losing his job. All the while trying to organise PPE for over 400 bank branches and keeping the website updated 3 times a day with the latest closures due to in branch cases

While this is an interesting point, lockdown was by its nature horrible and unnatural. Isolating people from their dying loved ones, for example. It was far more negative than positive (and that’s a fact, not an opinion).

I liked:

the weather

the peace

work (A&E nurse, enjoy what I do, possibly even more so despite the stress)

homeschooling (worked nights, chose to keep kids off and managed to get dyslexic DS caught up)

time off work no questions asked when DH caught COVID then pneumonia.

having enough food to make healthy if creative meals from store cupboard stuff when I couldn’t go to a shop for 4 weeks due to caring for DH (see above)

I don’t miss:

worrying about DH and my parents.

not qualifying for supermarket delivery when I couldn’t go out.

seeing how it affected people physically and mentally.

DH’s business failing.

I was absolutely utterly terrified during the first lockdown. I was being treated for stage 4 cancer. My consultant told me repeatedly I would not survive COVID if I caught it (in hindsight this was speculation). I sat in an isolated hospital room watching my father's funeral after not being able to be with him. It was horrendous.

Having said that I don't think yabu at all! Lockdown WAS different for everyone and I totally get the joy of stepping away from the frantic pace.

It was fine til I got made redundant.

I found the first lock down positive tbh. I spent longer at home with DS as I was going to return to work (after mat leave) just as Covid hit, so decided to delay it for almost a year. It was lovely spending that extra time together, plus my DH had majorly reduced hours on the same pay so we got to enjoy the garden and go for walks together.

I appreciate that many wouldn't have had this experience and would have had a horrendous time. I would find it much harder if it were to happen now due to having a 1 and 6 year old, so it would be a completely different experience.

Nope, as an introvert, I bloody loved it.

I hated lockdown. I was lucky enough to be off work (I was a key worker but they wouldn't let me work because I was pregnant and no-one knew the risk to unborn babies). I missed my parents, my friends, the kids were bored and lonely. My SIL lost her dad to Covid. No I don't want to go back to that.
Of course you are lucky it didn't affect you badly but you can't miss something that caused so much heartbreak and suffering to so many people. Unless you are totally lacking in empathy.
Slow down in your life if that's what you want but don't wish for something so hideous

There were so many on here who loved it. They were so stressed at the idea that we might not all be having a fabulous time. That any complaints might lead to politicians deciding to lift it. Which I get if you were high risk, but it was a definite air of “this is all lovely and perfectly fine” to threads at the time.

it was not ok to say you hated it. Or were stressed.

so it’s ok to say you enjoyed it OP, I know lots of people did. They really didn’t want to go back to normal and were very reluctant to hear how bad it was for others.

It’s notable that those who enjoyed lockdown AND can acknowledge it was awful for others are in such a higher proportion to those that hated it and can realise some people enjoyed some parts.

Was so much fun for me.

Got diagnosed with cancer the day before the first lockdown, treatment got held up so I eventually had a stroke, couldn't work and the 80% of my contract that I got took me under the benefit cap for months until they sorted out my DLA and I had 6 kids (no maintenence either of course) no money, was unwell, and struggled like fuck and now have a permanent disability.

Good Times.

YABVU. Our current economic problems are mostly due to the enormous costs of lost productivity and paying people to do nothing.

Just feel free to lock yourself down again if you think it was so marvellous.

What lock down. I worked all the way through it while 5 other members of my family were at home on full pay.

I get your post OP.

Something terrible had happened to me immediately prior, meaning I had lost my business and income. I'd been prescribed sertraline to help me get through the period and was under a huge amount of stress. Consequently, I don't remember a lot of lockdown. But I do feel, had life been ticking along as normal (for me), I would have enjoyed the pace change too.