I never, EVER want to see this film again! I feel like I have been living in a sub-plot for the last 10 months on and off. I guess we all feel pretty much the same really?
January is always the worst month – as well as my own thoughts, I have been doing some Google research, and come to the following conclusions:
Taking down the Festive decorations is a chore that nobody likes. Also, it is a long way to next Christmas, which is everyone’s favourite time of the year.
It has been a very long time since December payday, so we are all stoney broke after the Christmas expenses.
All the quarterly bills have arrived just to add insult to injury.
The weather is terrible. Even if you could go out, why would you want to?
Even without the misery of Covid, it is cough, cold and ‘flu season.
The New Year’s Resolutions have long gone by the wayside and we are disappointed in ourselves.
All those years you said “if I could just have a few days to myself, I would get that (insert mammoth task of choice) sorted out” – now, after all this time shut indoors, you just know that this is a lie!
The New Year’s diet is also long forgotten, and those extra Christmas pounds are really showing on the scales (and waist bands – do you just give in and get a bigger size maybe?).
You cannot go shopping as everything is currently shut – see above.
A trip to the supermarket for food and essentials has become a weekly treat – this also only adds to the diet/weight problems!
Alcohol is not the answer. See below.
Some of us are missing the school run – home education sucks and many parents are now painfully aware that it isn’t the teacher’s fault after all! :O
Dry January is just not happening – see all of the above.
Even the most dedicated followers are getting fed up with the same memes on Social Media – what are these so-called “Influencers” for anyway?
For the self-employed, the tax return is nagging away from the corner of the desk, sent with love from HMRC.
After completing the dreaded tax return, a tax demand is sure to follow…. More money you don’t currently have!
Everyone is stuck in lockdown with no end in sight once again, and we are all missing our friends and family.
No chance of booking a holiday except for those who can afford a private jet and to quarantine for as long as needed – see above post on Social Media grrrrrrrrrrr….
January is the month when more couples decide to go their separate ways than any other.
We are all looking rather ragged around the edges once again – no hairdressers, no nail bars, no waxing or personal care. Oh the joys – a pair of tweezers and a nail file only go so far after all!
If you have a loved one in a Care Home, the separation is heart-breaking.
The bulb has blown in the light at the end of the tunnel!
So, take all of the above, factor in Covid and you have a perfect storm of misery – or do you? For some, lockdown has been beneficial (or so we are given to believe). For all of us, there really are positives to look forward to. Honestly… there are!
It always seems darkest before the dawn.
Somebody went to get a step-ladder and a new bulb to fix the light at the end of the tunnel. Normal service will resume presently…
It is only 11 months to Christmas again! Next Christmas we will have some fantastic family reunions!
Maybe during lockdown we will have gained the inner strength and wisdom to avoid those who make us miserable even when life is normal. See above Christmas comment! You have the strength to say “no” if you want to!
Pandemics do burn themselves out eventually – even without the assistance of medical science. Check your history books for reassurance.
In this case, medical science has delivered a vaccine – more than one in fact.
Soon it will no longer be January 😊 and our relationships will be safe again!
Alcohol is the answer after all – see above.
February brings Valentine’s Day – there is something for everyone in this, even if you treat yourself to some heart shaped chocolates. We should all learn to love and value ourselves a little more, I think?
February also brings Shrove Tuesday (16th this year), and we all love a pancake (why do we only cook them once a year?).
Better weather will follow. Spring is just around the corner; British Summer Time brings longer days, and it will soon be Easter. More chocolate – yippee!!
Even before BST arrives, the days are already getting noticeably longer – more hours of daylight will definitely lighten our mood.
The shops, pubs and restaurants will not be shut forever. We absolutely will get back to some level of normality and the sunny, warm Spring weather will hasten this. Initially it will be easier and safer to meet outside, so the prospect of some good weather is very appealing.
Care Homes will be open for visits again, as the vulnerable will have been vaccinated first. We can be reunited with our elderly relatives once again.
We will be able to start meeting our friends and family again – the only problem here of course is there will be some you do not want to see, and would in fact prefer to remain socially distanced from forever (see Life Laundry comment below and Christmas comments above). You now have plenty of time to start thinking up those excuses folks!
Having eaten your Valentine chocolates, pancakes and Easter eggs you will definitely want to treat yourself to some new clothes once the shops reopen! Start making a list! (see above comment about expanding waistlines!!). If the sizing label offends, just cut it out!
We can look forward to a salon visit and will feel a million dollars afterwards – remember that feeling?
Eventually we will all think of this as some terrible nightmare.
What a party we will all have when life does return to a new form of normality.
I like to think that we have all learned a few valuable lessons over the last 10 months, both personally and collectively.
We now know what and who is important to us.
It has been a good time to do some “life laundry”. Declutter your wardrobe, your address book, your social media, your mind and your home.
We value our loved ones all the more and will never take them for granted again.
We will not waste time on those who emotionally drain us or sap our energy.
The simple things in life will give us more pleasure.
Money does not make you happy – it is the simple pleasures of life that bring us joy, and they are mostly free.
We are all in charge of our own happiness.
Simple and random gestures of kindness mean a lot and can sometimes change a life!
Some of us have acquired a new skill or hobby during lockdown, or alternatively revived an old one.
Some of the adaptions made during lockdown will benefit us longer term – eg working from home.
The history books will record us all as “survivors” and the events, lessons and conclusions drawn from 2020/21 will hopefully help people to plan better for the future in every way.
Finally, thank you very much Mr Murray, but I am definitely not watching Groundhog Day ever again!
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