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?

How totalitarian regimes get support from lots of people

How much I need to be out in the world with people around

That having a child with SEN is a good practice for pandemic living. In fact many of us have found things easier (not to detract from those who found it harder)

@oopsiedaisy2 yeah lm on a Facebook break at the moment

That everything passes.

That I’m a natural social distancer .

That I'm very lonely

I need to address my weight

I have very special friends

I really missed being around my nephew

I can ace at solo parenting

More people in my life suffer from extreme anxiety and panic attacks than I realised.
More people in my life are up their own asses and completely selfish than I realised.
My dad can find anything during post-panic-buying-chaos (got bread flour when there was none, yeast when it was extinct, pasta when I had already resolved myself to making it from scratch with the bread flour he gave me!) And that he is just so bloody selfless I don't know how he does it.

How much I love to be beside the sea

@amy85

That I'm very lonely

Ah take some squeezes man. Horrible feeling lonely

That my child is super bright and capable but the school for the some of bizzare reason is cannot teach her?

It's taught me, how to teach her.

Re economics taught sooner, I think adding, subtraction, weighing, measuring, tables and a few other things are all that's needed for maths.
Imagine how amazing it would be, people would be, society would be, if we actually taught those with less maths abilities, budgeting, saving, loans...

It would save the UK billions!
Teaching proper skills!!
I love my little family even more than I thought I ever did.
And that the garden is incredible.

That buying things and travel are more important to most people than they are to me.

That many, many people are very badly educated in this country, particularly in sciences and critical thinking

That I seem to get a lot angrier than most about an incompetent government.

I am furious about the lack of leadership and critical thinking and although day to day I live my life on an even keel I find myself having waves of fury about the whole shit show!

I have also learnt that there are lots of good podcasts out there .

That whilst I have an active social life in normal times, I don't have any real friends.

I agree re the holidays. By coincidence we hadn't planned an annual holiday this year. Last year we booked a holiday of a lifetime in January, costing what was to us an awful lot of money. I can't imagine the stress I'd have been going through since February, wondering if it would go ahead, if it would be enjoyable, if we'd ever get our money back etc. It will be a long time before I book anything expensive far in advance again.

That it's shockingly easy to remove freedoms. It might have been in a good cause, but what if next time it isn't?

That I actually really liked my Old Normal life & should've appreciated it more.

How much the DCs, including my bit-of-an-introvert eldest, really need time with their friends.

That I'm less of an introvert than I thought I was.

That people generally are a million times more fearful than I ever realised & that frightened people will accept literally anything, no matter how illogical, if it allows them to feel 'safe'.

That I am quite pleased I don't have to turn down invitations including birthday parties and big events, as nothing has been able to take place. Anyone else the same?

@iklboo

People are frighteningly eager to 'report' people for imagined infractions.

Yes - definitely this one!!! You can see how the Stasi became so effective.

That I am rubbish at wallpapering. I never tried it before, and it turned out terrible. I probably need something like a 3 day course to learn how to lay one strip smoothly.

That I'm a coward generally. Including when it comes to making myself watch more wallpapering videos. I'd be the most useless expendable character in a thriller disaster movie. Off the screen within 2 minutes.

Honestly? That I really am alone in this world, without anyone I can rely on, apart from my 17 year old DS, who I don't expect the support I would from another adult. I had thought that already, but this situation has proven it. And now I have to learn to live with it.

That I'm really not a very socialable person and I love being in my little family very much. The first few weeks were so incredibly tough and overwhelming (I'm on mat leave so also a hormonal wreck) but now there Is a little bit of freedom I am quite content. And I say that after my two year old was an absolute PITA today.....
I also love having to be more organised. Its saved me alot of money and made me more thoughtful when buying gifts etc

Have some savings. I had some, now gone but it kept me afloat. Hopefully back to work in a month.

ShinyFootball. It's terrifying isn't it?

That we are all being encouraged to turn against each other. That we are not all in this together, but instead it’s everyone for themselves.

That those who are making the decisions (politicians) are the epitome of the idea of putting themselves first. They don’t serve in our best interests. They are only serving themselves.

That I haven’t really got any close friends.

That my husband is far lazier than even I had realised.......