Goodbye Lockdown(ish)

I wonder if fishing is allowed yet.

It’s a bit weird seeing people queueing outside Primark all of a sudden. Have we all missed cheap t-shirts that fall apart after a few washes that badly? I suppose the range of socks in there is slightly more impressive than Tesco’s selection, so there is that… But over the last three days there have been an awful lot of people queueing and I doubt they’re all purely there for socks.
One small barbershop that I walked past on Monday was rammed full of folk inside, and another FIFTEEN people were lined up outside the door – fifteen people waiting, surely for at least an hour or two, for a haircut! What’s going on?
Well, Lockdown III is easing, that’s what’s going on. As of the 12th of April 2021, across England, the ‘non-essential’ shops are open again, as are pubs, hairdressers, nail salons and… Oh who cares?
…Evidently, lots of people care.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see the independent businesses springing back into action – there’s enthusiasm in the air, and smiles on faces, and stuff happening. Restaurants and cafes are open now but customers have to sit outside, so there are suddenly new seating areas popping up all around the high street. It’s quite exciting – I like new things and I like the air of vivacity.

But bloody hell, I honestly thought the last twelve months would change things. Or, more to the point, I had hope that the last twelve months would change things. Through the various lockdowns, I thought people’s priorities had changed – After all, I know mine have, and I optimistically felt that the enforced quietude would allow us all to communally address what really matters…

In March last year, we lost of so much of what we did habitually. With no shops to go to, and no pubs, and limits on our outdoors time, I suddenly felt that the spotlight shone on the fact that consumerism is rather occupying, even though it doesn’t really provide much more than a blindness which distracts us from genuine wholesome living.

For me, even through all the ups and downs, Covid times presented an opportunity; a chance to tune in to what is important to me. I realised (not for the first time) that I don’t need or want a lot of what modern life offers: I haven’t once missed the pubs, or Primark, or haircuts. Sure, I’ve missed some people, and live music and gatherings of friends in fields have come into my mind fairly regularly, but on balance I’ve thrilled at the wealth of alone-time that I’ve been granted, and I’ve done loads of creative things. Plus, the outdoors has been lovely, while there’s been nobody around…

So, while the high street is now full of people carrying shopping by day and full of drunk people by night, I can’t help but feel a little sad that lockdown is ending, and a little disappointed that not much really seems to have changed at all – I’m astounded by the sheer number of people who’ve immediately returned to the daily grind, and the enthusiasm they have for it seems bonkers… I keep wondering, ‘Why aren’t they all indoors, writing their novel?!’

I wonder if anyone else feels the same. I wonder if anyone feels an unease at the prospect of Real Life coming back. I’m sure someone out there does.
Well, if that’s you, here’s what I think:
It’s probably OK to be nervy about going into a shop. It’s probably alright too if you feel a bit shaky at the thought of getting out of bed at a reasonable time. If you’ve developed a routine over the last year that works for you, it’s probably alright not to rush out of it – actually, it’s possibly good for you to stick to it for a while longer, if circumstances allow it.
Based on my experience, lockdown hasn’t been a shift away from normal at all; instead it’s been a return to normal. A chance to be normal. An opportunity to do the things I would have been doing anyway, if ‘Real Life’ hadn’t got in the way.

And that’s the thing: When lockdown isn’t in place, I don’t think stuff like Primark and mindless boozing is Real Life at all. I think Real Life is how lockdown felt – I think that generally, Real Life is a little bit boring, unless you get off your arse and do something. Real Life isn’t full of distractions, and things to buy. It’s full instead of haphazard sleep patterns, finding joy in a text message, fluctuating moods, and creative endeavours.
And as for the boring bits, and the fluctuating moods, Real Life is about learning to manage those so that they don’t feel uncomfortable. Primark and haircuts are just ways to avoid facing ourselves. That’s what I think.

So there you go. Not a particularly Big Think this week but I’m sure there’s one brewing for another day… Maybe I’ll write that after I get my new socks, if the queue isn’t too long.