A Brave New World or back to the Rat Race?

Like everyone else, I’m wondering what will happen after lockdown, what’s going to have changed for good, and what’s going to go back to business as usual? And how quickly?

Will the milkman, the village shop, the local butcher still get our trade? Maybe we’ve supported them to avoid the crowds at the supermarket, or maybe because they were getting regular supplies of toilet rolls in the early days! Mind you, those early days seem like a long time ago now.

What about the Pilates studios and fitness instructors who’ve been beaming free classes into our living rooms. Will we still support them and keep up our exercises when they re-open? Or the local cafes and restaurants who’ve been giving away free food?

And what about the people we’ve really started to value - the front line workers? Will we still value people working in care homes, who’ve put their lives at risk day in and day out, many of them on minimum wage? Will there be a shift in thinking to value these special people financially rather than just by expressing our gratitude?

Will we keep up our daily walk, taking time to appreciate birdsong; detaching from our phones for an hour a day? Will we keep up the quality time with our children, reading with them, playing with them, getting to know them better? Will we cook from scratch and eat meals together? Will we continue to say hello to strangers, to look out for elderly neighbours, to keep involved in our communities? Will we stop shopping for luxuries that we don’t really need and remember what’s really important in life?

I wonder if all the people who’ve proved to doubtful bosses that they can be productive at home will be allowed to continue with remote working. Imagine if rush hour traffic was a thing of the past. Hard to imagine, I know!
Like everyone else I have no idea, but I’m really hoping that we emerge from this as better people - valuing local, family, community and small independent business. Only time will tell but some of this is in our hands; we can all make a difference.

Would love to know your thoughts.

​In the meantime, stay safe.