A few weeks ago I wrote about the 10 Silver Linings I have personally witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you missed that blog you can access it here: https://kevinbradyhealth.ca/10-silver-linings-of-covid-19/
Although I do believe we have all found new ways to do things and there are in fact some “silver linings,” I can’t help but think about all the things I miss about my “Pre-COVID” life. I thought today I would share the things in life that I will never take for granted again. Like most things in life, we don’t miss things, people or places until they are taken away from us. During Covid-19 we have had many things taken away from us including our freedom that so many of us take for granted.
Here are the 10 things that I will never take for granted again
1.Grocery Shopping
Although I can’t profess to actually enjoy grocery shopping, I will not take for granted the fact that I can’t stop into the grocery store at any time to pick up just a “few items”. In addition, I look forward to the day again that I can go grocery shopping without sanitizing my cart, taking my own hand sanitizer, wearing a mask, and avoiding all people in the store. I have found going shopping to be almost “eerie” as it is so quiet and everyone “gawks” at each other wondering if those around us have COVID and could infect us. I look forward to the time again where I will not need to worry about any of this.
2.Going to the Gym
Part of my weekly routine is to go to my favourite gyms (YMCA and SST) on a regular basis to get in a weight or swimming workout. Although I have continued to do weights on a weekly basis in my basement gym, I miss the motivation and fun that comes with working out with others. It is very lonely to work out every day on my own and I look forward to the time again where I can do this with others.
3.Going for a Coffee at a Coffee Shop and Staying
One of my simple pleasures in life is to go to a local coffee shop and actually sit down and read while enjoying a coffee and not worrying about those around me. Although many coffee shops currently have take out and drive-thru, I miss sitting down and enjoying my coffee either alone or with friends, In fact, the last few weekends, I have gone through a “Drive-Thru” at McDonald’s while out for my morning ride. Although the service and coffee were great, it wasn’t the same as I had to go through the Drive-Thru on my bike and have my coffee in the parking lot!
4.Hugging Friends/Family
One of the things I will never take for granted is the ability to hug family and friends when I see them. As you know, we have all been keeping our “social distancing” rules in place and therefore have not even come close to family and friends that we are not living with. It will be so nice to actually talk to family and friends face to face instead of 6 feet or more away. Barb has been visiting her mom at her condo however has had to talk to her from the driveway while her mom sits on the porch which is very tough on everyone.
5.Flying – And Not Worrying
I can’t say that I actually love air travel however when we can’t fly and that freedom is taken away from us then we miss the ability to fly. I typically fly for business and or personal travel reasons and as of the last few months we have all been “grounded”. I will never take for granted getting on a plane without worrying about who is sitting near me, social distancing, and sanitizing everything around me.
In fact the last time we flew was to get home from out west when the COVID “lockdown” started and we actually monitored the number of passengers on the flights to determine the one that had the least amount of people. We had only about 30 people on our flight home and we took all the necessary precautions and the good news is we never did catch COVID.
6.Cycling/Running with friends/clubs
Part of my personal “social circle” is the friends and people that I typically meet for a ride, run, or swim. I do this through various clubs or groups I am part of and typically right now we are in full training mode and therefore get together to “train” on a regular basis. I have been getting my workouts in daily but miss the fact that I can’t do it with friends or the clubs that I am part of. I look forward to getting back to training with others and the fun and competitiveness that comes with doing this as part of a group.
7.Social Time with Family and Friends
One of the things I really miss is the ability to spend social time with family, friends, and people I work with. We had some friends stop by the cottage last weekend however it wasn’t the same as we sat/stood about 10 feet from one another and although it was great seeing “other people” it just wasn’t the same. I look forward to the time where we can just get together with zero worries about social distancing.
8. In-Person Meetings
Like so many of us, my workdays are 90% spent having Virtual meetings with co-workers, clients, and others. Although this was a good skill to pick up and will likely continue in our “new world,” I can honestly say that I really miss the ability to have a face to face in-person meetings. Nothing in my mind is better than meeting in person and engaging in a great discussion with people.
9.Going to The Office
One of the things that I really miss is just going into the office and interacting with our staff members. Every time I drive by the office I wish I could just “stop in ” and say hi to fellow co-workers like old times instead of my daily/weekly meetings on FaceTime or other virtual platforms.
10.Touching Door Handles, Elevators, or anything without worrying about catching COVID 19
Lastly, I will never take for granted the fact that pre-COVID I rarely worried about anything that I touched. It seems now I am obsessed (and rightly so) with hand washing, disinfecting, sanitizing every single thing that I come in touch with on a daily basis. It will be so nice to return to a time whereby I don’t have to worry about any of these things moving forward.
Summary
I don’t think that it is realistic to think that things will ever return 100% to our “Pre-COVID” world however I do hope that soon we can return to some sort of “normal” where we won’t have to worry about all of the things that I previously took for granted.
Don’t Let Your Guard Down!
Lastly, I will caution you that as things start to “open up” again that you don’t let your guard down, I know personally that I have had to remind myself and our family that although things are reopening, that we have to be diligent and continue to take the precautions we have been taking to avoid contracting the virus or spreading it to others.
I was talking with my nutritionist from Advica Health (Advicahealth.com) last week and she outlined that as we get back out into the world, we have to be extra diligent in terms of ensuring our immunity is strong as our bodies have not had to fight off any bacteria or viruses over the past few months as we have been avoiding contact with people. To learn more about what you can do to protect and build your own immunity, you can refer to my blog on things I am personally doing to build my immunity here:https://kevinbradyhealth.ca/10-extra-measures-i-am-taking-to-avoid-covid-19/
Wishing you and your family all the very best in this time,
Kev
1 comment
Hi Kev, you have put into Words so many things that so many people think about constantly. Thank you. You do a great job. Glad that you’re promoting safe health.
Love, Marge