Ten things I’ve learned in lockdown
It’s important to make the most of what life gives us. With that in mind, here are ten things I’ve learned in lockdown that might also help you:-
- There are more important things than a “normal” routine. How many times do we do something, or go through a usual – pre-lockdown – day without really thinking about whether we need to, or could, do things differently? Being forced to live for well-nigh a year cheek by jowl with my nearest and dearest, a great many things have had to be adjusted, including my “usual” workaday expectations. And guess what? The world is still working fine.
- There are lots of things I don’t “need”. Again, how much stuff in a “normal” day have I got used to taking for granted? Trips out whenever I like, visits to shops, buying a new set of clothes… An awful lot of stuff I expected to need and want, I no longer even think about. A new trend of minimalism which gives me room to do more interesting things.
- As I get used to getting along with “less”, I appreciate what I have, more: time to rest, to go to bed early, time to resign the worries – since there isn’t much I can do if the weather keeps me indoors most of the day and I’m not allowed to venture outside anyway, except for exercise… So I am happy to have time to eat a leisurely breakfast and appreciate how it tastes; I’m happy to share a joke or watch re-runs of favourite TV series with my husband and daughter; I’m happy if I have a clean top to wear…
- I buy less, so what I have at home, I adapt to less wasteful, more friendly usage. Instead of buying disposable face-masks and synthetic wash cloths which end up in the bin, I buy washable alternatives, or cut up a ragged cotton towel into wash-up squares that can be laundered and re-used often; I started out saving ends of soap and reforming them – and I still intend to do this, when I’ve got enough of them – but I now also buy round soaps instead of square, because I discover that a round shape means much less to throw away.
- I think less about things that I don’t enjoy. The things that used to bug me – constant laundry, washing and tidying – I now see as opportunities for improvement; and if that doesn’t work, I deal with chores quickly, and with minimal mental investment, with a view to getting past them and into something more fun: I’ve started learning Portuguese on duolingo, and I really enjoy the new “Durrells” series…
To be continued… Thanks for reading.
Please share:
February 15, 2021 @ 6:22 am
Dear Fran, I enjoyed your post very much. We have never travelled much or spent time shopping, but the simple things we enjoy have been missed. Right now we are in the midst of an unbelievable cold snap. Pandemic or record-breading-cold, we are learning to do with less. Hope this continues to be a good, joy-filled year for you and your loved ones. Take care.
February 15, 2021 @ 11:54 am
Dear Tarri,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and for reading and commenting! Very appreciated. Yes, many of the things we took for granted have had to take a back seat while we go back to basics. Which can be fun in a way, and rewarding: remembering what really matters. I hope that 2021 is a good year for you too, and that the cold snap melts away soon. Here, we are back to blue-ish skies and grassy lawns, after days of piled up snow. Quite amazing how quickly it melted away overnight. Bless you! 🙂
February 19, 2021 @ 6:17 pm
Oh Fran, I think we are all going through a similar learning curve. Interestingly, I learnt the other day that savings in the Netherlands have never been so high since people cannot go out to shop right now. Not that the shopkeepers are managing to save, poor souls. I do worry about the small businesses that are suffering so badly. However, I don’t miss stuff; what I miss is contact with people, and that I’m finding increasingly tough.
February 22, 2021 @ 10:12 am
Thank you so much for visiting, Val. I really appreciate your kindness. You can always talk to me, if you like. Or you can email me. :-)) I hope boating, and the canals are behaving for you. I only wish that the UK – which seems, under our right-wing administration at Westminster, to have made too many mistakes – could go back ten years or so and do things a bit differently: not leave Europe; and react much more quickly to this viral outbreak. It’s not as if we had no warnings..!
Bless you, and have a good week. Xxx
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