AIBU to miss life prior to 2016? The days before I'd ever heard the words 'Mexit', 'Brexit', 'Woke', 'Covid', 'Whitty' and 'Truss'. The days before 'fake news', Trump and Borris?
The days when home schooling was something you only read about or saw on TV documentaries. The days before the word 'transgender' appeared in the news 20 times a day. The days before gen z were words I'd ever heard of.
The days before my mum and countless others died due to the rise of COVID and the fall of the NHS. The days before my public sector pay decreased massively, my workload doubled, and the cost of petrol rose exponentially.
The days when the queen was alive with Philip close by, and there was a strange but secure familiarness about that. The days when Harry still seemed the loveable but rebellious cheeky chappy we all thought we knew. The days before pizza express and non sweaty arm pits.
The days before Russia almost bought us back to the cold war and Ukraine just sounded like a nice but far away place we didn't know too much about.
The days when you could phone a GP and have at least a small chance of being able to see them that day, or any day! The days when you could call an ambulance and actually believe it would come and someone would rush you to hospital. The days when you trusted that if you got seriously ill, the NHS would treat and save you.
The days when no-one joked about stocking up on toilet roll because it just wasn't a thing!
I know life wasn't all sunshine and Roses prior to 2016. I know a lot was wrong then too. But looking back it just all seemed so simple then. So much more secure and familiar.
So much has happened this last few years and I miss the simplicity of life before.
If you could have told me in 2016 how the next 7 years would pan out, I don't think there's any way at all I'd have believed it. No chance. Just no way. I wouldn't even have believed a quarter of it. I just wouldn't.
Anyone else miss the old era?