What have you learnt from this pandemic?

[pawsies]

For me I am a naturally cautious person and tend to think of worst case scenarios on a daily basis. I am a catastrophiser.

Therefore I'm very reluctant to book things far in advance. I wouldn't book a holiday years in advance. Maybe months but more likely weeks.

This pandemic has reinforced that. I can't see myself booking a holiday for 2022/2023. I want to go away in January but probably won't book anything until December.
Seeing the hassle people have had to go through to get money back/travel insurance etc puts me off booking anything earlier.

What about you?

@SengaStrawberry

That people will give up their hard fought for rights and freedoms very easily and then clamour for more to be taken away. I find it astonishing really.

This is what I have found absolutely astounding about the current situation too!

That the average intelligence level and reasoning ability of most people are both much, much lower than we like to think.

That human nature really does not change, just the backdrop and the costumes and the technologies.

That we're pretty much already living in the world of Firefly. Just without the spaceships.

Pull out method doesn't work

That I’m unfulfilled, depressed and unmotivated.

That 90% of my life in quarantine isn’t any different from non-quarantine.
That my H is happy with no friends, living a very small life, going to work and coming home. I am not.

That our imagined freedoms and autonomy are very fragile therefore if you want to do something and you can do it, rattle on before that changes.

Or, carpe diem.

That the zombie apocalypse would be over in about 1 day.
The dead would have won...with Ease and in time for afternoon tea.

That I have the most wonderful neighbours. That I'm lucky to live where I do and have the support network I have despite being half a world away from my family. I am more sure than ever that a life overseas is the right thing for my family.

Also that I am not cut out for homeschooling even though I'm a teacher (my children are small and I teach Secondary - nothing but respect for EY teachers!!)

I have learnt to nap. Couldn't do it before.

Can now sleep without earplugs.

I am a good cook and baker.

I can decorate and really well.

It doesn't matter that the house gets messy.

I can grow herbs.

To not use my tumble dryer.

I've learnt to ride a bike. I'm 48.

Buy less food of better quality.

Meal plan.

I won't fear summer holidays again.

I have loved lockdown I must say.

I am a hermit.
I want to be an artist.
I love cycling.
socialising is overrated.
I love my pets.
Whwn i finish my degree i am not sure i will stick at the job for long as i have fallen out of love with it.

That I totally took having family nearby for granted

That my kids are amazingly resilient and ds (almost 3) is happiest messing around with us at home.

That dhs dad and his girlfriend are totally useless. They live 10 mins down the road from us and in the lockdown they didn’t speak to dh at all. No contact from them.

That my kids are brilliant and I love spending time with them, I’m a decent teacher and very resourceful.
That I could procrastinate for the Olympics.
That people are, on the whole, kind.
That my DP neither respects or loves me anymore.

I quite like staying in.
Gardening and DIY are actually quite satisfying
Without a commute I have the equivalent of an extra day each week in terms of time to get stuff done
That living with just my DH is actually quite nice and chilled (DC stayed with partners or near work for the duration)
I spent far too much on eating out and take away coffee. I feel I have got a grip on my finances again.
I have actually planned ahead for friends birthdays etc and got much more thoughtful gifts online.
I enjoy walking in the fields nearby more than I realised

On the negative some neighbours are selfish tw*ts
Starting a new job in the first week of lockdown from homecwas incredibly stressful and means I don't feel I have really understood the organisation even now

I learnt more about myself and how I react to external pressures / situations. Also what relieves those.

A small percentage of the population really don't give a shit about anyone else but themselves.

I can carve a nice life working from home almost full time but some days in the office for company and catch up chats.

I never thought I'd be so happy to go to the gym in my life. I sometimes had to drag myself there however after not being able to go for so long I almost bounce to the door.

How I hate the rude customers in retail and the abuse we get is more than ever now. Had a women ranting at me because we did not have any ham in which is totally not my fault. This crisis has brought the worst out in people and seen many of my colleagues break down

@birdy124... congratulations?

That when it is all over I am going to disappear from society! I'm already making plans and if anyone has any helpful suggestions, I will listen.

That I'm more resilient and less needy of other other people than I thought.
That I love spending time with DH and the DC.
That I'm a rubbish teacher but a good mum.
That I'm feeling more myself and am better at prioritising when not working from the the office or seeing too many people. Though I'm an extravert and value my close friendships very much, I get easily distracted by other people's drama at the cost of my own productivity/interests.

That pretty much no one in the U.K. understands what 2 metres is.

That I know a lot of people with no common sense.

That I'm shit at home schooling.

That I like other people's company a lot more than i thought I did.

That many people are very selfish and actually don't care about the environment dispite bullshit posts on SM and clapping for nhs etc.

That lessons will not be learnt or taken and nothing will change.

That many will extort and inflate prices for there own gain

That this generation would never have got through ww1 or 2!

That a police state is much easier enforceable than I'd believed.

That a large percentage of the UK population haven't grown out of the high school prefect, perfect peter mentality.

That the young people of the UK will be shafted in favour of the elderly.

How feeble the NHS is and just how effortlessly they can shut up shop on certain departments/treatments (especially cancer treatments being paused so easily, really frightened me.)

That my DD is incredible (I knew this anyway, lockdown really reinforced it.)

How much I miss my mum

That I can make a meal out of nothing

That my mental health really takes a dive when I can't get my hair, nails, Botox... done. Ditto getting dressed up and going out to the local bars.

That I can spend a lot of money (!) very easily.

To add on to the NHS point...
How easy it is to restrict access to GP appointments too. The gate keeping and red tape to try and see an actual person at the minute, without being referred to MIU or A&E, is ridiculous.

Nothing I didn't already know about myself really. I'm shit at cooking and decorating and naturally lazy when I have the opportunity.
I have learned since the easing though that people will prioritise enjoying themselves booze over just about anything and that the majority of people genuinely only care about their own wants and are quite willing to throw others under the bus in order to get what they want regardless of laws, health, safety or a global pandemic or others needs.

I thought my coping skills were better now I think I'm detached from emotion for self protection.
I boiled over after the recycling bin spilled last week I kicked it full force across the room.

that sainsburys is my mecca, that you can buy a baby tiger for 2k in america (thanks Tiger King), that my kids are actually really cool humans and that my sister is a selfish twat

I think every NHS manager I worked with seemed to find a reason to isolate and/or work from home asap while the rest of the staff struggled on. Absolute joke

My DH is a service manager at the local district hospital and hasn't worked a single day from home. They do exist!