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What Do You Miss Most From Your Pre-Pandemic Life?

Not so much for myself - my life hasn't changed all that much and I've found some masks that are comfortable enough..

..but I miss the social interaction that my kids have with others. Yesterday, my daughter went back to her dance class for the first time since March. Pre covid, this was always a massively social time for her. Now, the kids line up 2m apart. They glance at each other nervously over the top of masks and they have to dance in boxes marked on the floor. Covid has completely sucked the life and joy out of it.

So that. Social interaction without having to count up to six.
 
Mostly I miss eating out and our weekly Go meetings.

OTOH, I certainly do NOT miss the handshakes. And social embraces with people I know only remotely.

These days I bow japanese-style. So basically a slight nod for people I don't particularly care much about. I'll probably just keep doing that even when the epidemic has ended.

Much better.
 
As some of you know Melbourne is in hardcore lockdown currently, curfew and only allowed to travel 5km for necessities, its been about 7 weeks now of this and i've found it absolutely brutal mentally.

I miss playing live, going to gigs, seeing friends, hiking, seeing my therapist (this has probably been the hardest to let go), I also was getting a lot of emotional support outside of my household as i look after my disabled sister i live with too. my mums just got cancer again too. I miss my dad who passed away 5 years ago, I'd go back to before he died if i could... may have overshared i'm sorry, just the hardcore lockdown has really got to me and haven't had much of an opportunity to talk about the things I miss.

I'm a very positive person, in the face of adversity there is always opportunity to grow, love and be aware. The experience become our medals, worth more than currency, they cant be bought... the finest wine is found in the deepest cellars, the most precious pearls are at the bottom of the ocean. At least this is a narrative I listen to from time to time.
 
While I do sorely miss everything that was mentioned here already, I think what I miss most is my 'freedom'. I miss the simple ability to step outside my door and not have to think, worry and stress about where I can/can't go and when, who I can/can't see, what I can/can't do, etc. Things that used to be simple joys have become a dreaded task that undoubtedly bring anxiety.

That said, this is obviously not forever and people are great at adapting in life! I will say though, it has made me appreciate the little things in life even more and I can't wait to share a meal with family, enjoy a movie with friends, exercise with team sports and of course collaborate with some amazing musicians!
 
Not so much for myself - my life hasn't changed all that much and I've found some masks that are comfortable enough..

..but I miss the social interaction that my kids have with others.

That's me. I miss my daughter being able to have play dates without tracing the recent exposure of both families down to every little detail. Thank goodness for online games like Fortnite; it's been a good way for her to stay in touch with kids her age on a daily basis.
 
Nothing! I had an hour commute to work whereas now I work from home, listen to Bartok, Stravinsky, whatever I want and enjoy the time with my dogs.

I wrote more focussed concert works this summer than ever before! Three of them!
 
Women.

Few days ago I even fell in love with a Greek communist woman during work chat. She happened to ask how Im doing. How desperate can one be. A "trotskyist" doing raids with "comrades", one of those comrade groups throwing Molotovs in Athens. But she got my empathy, and it even felt in the stomach. I am wondering if she is occupied.

Because no women around, I have started to learn the chicken language. Its quite easy to learn, theres around 30 expressions.
 
I miss Jiujitsu. Gyms are closed here in Cali but I still go to the park and kickbox with my training partners. But haven't choked anyone out since April. I miss it a lot.

I also miss live shows.
 
I can relate. I like my colleagues, and it would be nice to see them once in a while but more or less our whole family's quality of life has only improved
I don't know who was telling this Finnish joke: can't wait for this 1m distancing to end, so that we can finally return to stay 5m apart as before!

Paolo
 
I miss playing basketball on a weekly basis. (I think my 53-year-old body is glad for the break!)
As an extreme introvert, I am surprisingly missing meeting with people face to face.

Rob
 
I'm missing the more obvious things - a better economy, freedom, health - but I have to admit that I miss the summer crowd. I'm someone who most often stays alone (working mostly from home, and loving mountain trekking). But only now I can understand how much I miss those evenings at the sea in the Italian summer, made of a kaleidoscope of people dressed to stay together in the relief from the day's heat. I miss the artisan's street markets and live music at the beach.

There was a lot of people at the beach in the day, but the evenings were turned down, grey, with a sense of danger and fear of touching and being touched by the crowd. A walk felt a lot like an act of senseless bravery. Ice cream shops were like military zones. Fish restaurants and pizzerias places to be visited only with care.

I miss this sweet sense of leisure, that is a bit like Boccaccio's light way of passing through the plague.

Paolo
 
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Gigs (attending & playing).

Also walking the streets & work at office without a mask on my face.
But I telework 80% of my time so I think I won’t complain much :P
 
1. Gigs: The last Saturday in September is always one of the busiest dates of the year for polka bands due to Oktoberfest. My band alone usually receives at least a dozen inquiries. This will be the first time in my entire musical career that I'm not booked for anything... not even as a sideman with another band.

2. The convenience of mask-free living: The other day I stopped at a store to pick up a few things, and realized I had accidentally left my face mask in my jacket pocket at home. This completely negated my ability to enter the store, so I just went home.

3. Handshakes: Nowadays, when you bump a friend even if you haven't seen them for ages, the new social convention is to keep back as if they have body odor or leprosy. This physical standoffishness is totally counterintuitive to my personality.
 
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