Top Things Pre-Corona That Everyone Misses
It’s amazing how much we miss something once it’s gone. Whether it’s a kiss and a hug from a loved one, grabbing a drink with a friend at your favorite watering hole, or a grocery store visit without the required use of a mask. You may even find yourself missing something that you once spent more time complaining about. The pandemic swallowed up all of these little liberties overnight and then gradually spit them back out at us all mumbo-jumbo. Let’s talk about the top things pre-corona that everyone misses.
While there have been a few improvements that followed, such as helping many of us slow down, most of us wish that we could go back to the way things used to be. I’m betting that you may be one of them. Here are some of the top things that everyone is missing following the coronavirus pandemic. In case you missed this post, Asymptomatic VS Presymptomatic Spread of COVID-19
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Top Things Pre-Corona That Everyone Misses
Our Normal Routine
Most of us can agree that we just miss living out our normal routine. When the pandemic began to sweep across our nation, we lost a sense of any control over our lives that we thought we had, along with the comfort of the predictable. Many workers are still having to work from home instead of being able to mingle with their coworkers. We miss even the simplest social interactions. Coffee baristas are still saddened by their favorite regular customers that they haven’t seen since before all of this began.
Visiting with Loved Ones
Not being able to visit with loved ones has taken a huge toll on most of us, especially for countless grandparents who have health issues and haven’t been able to see their grandchildren all these months. I also know certain individuals out there who are going absolutely crazy because they need to hug someone just as much as I need a cup of coffee in the morning. We’ve found out that greeting and embracing our family and friends were more important than we realized. I think this is something we all took for granted pre-corona.
In-School Classroom Experience
Back in March, a majority of the schooling across the country was moved to online learning for the remainder of the school year. This was hard on teachers and faculty who missed their students, and even for students who missed being surrounded by their friends. Let’s not forget that it was hard on parents as well, where they had to balance their jobs while having a difficult time finding childcare for their kids during the day.
Even though most schools have returned back to the classroom at this point, it’s still not the ideal school experience that students and teachers would like. Schools have had to evolve in how they go about doing just about everything, especially in the cafeteria, playground, and after school sports activities that students love so much.
Sporting Events
Wow, what a messy, upside down, wacky year for sports. Can I get an “amen” for all you sports fans out there? Stadiums and arenas didn’t have the option of filling their bleachers with noisy and excited fans this year, rather they teased all of us television viewers by filling their seats with cardboard fans instead. Even the summer Olympics were canceled this year. Millions of Americans not only missed out on the sports teams that they love to watch in person, but being surrounded by other fans as well as the traditions that brought such joy to us all.
Grabbing a Bite To Eat
If you’re like me, every once in a while you enjoy going out and having a cup of coffee or a bite to eat while getting caught up with an old friend. For several months this was not even an option. Once businesses did start opening back up, there was extremely limited seating, which by the way still continues to this day.
There are many folks who have yet to return to their favorite restaurants and coffee shops because of the possibility that they might get sick. Carry-out and delivery services have exploded onto the scene during this new period that we find ourselves living in.
Working Out and Fitness Classes
A lot of people who have gym memberships or were a part of fitness classes also haven’t returned to these types of facilities for similar reasons. There seems to be a lot more flabbiness walking out on the streets recently, myself included. Many athletes and us regular people who wished to continue working out had to reinvent their workout routine, several of them decided to go virtual.
An added challenge is not having the necessary equipment at home like we enjoy using at the gym.
Swimming Pools and Theme Parks
This summer, city swimming pools sat empty and eerily quiet. You may have been one of the many families that decided this was the year that you bought a family pool for your backyard. But if you made the mistake of waiting too long, it was nearly impossible to get your hands on one or the necessary workers to install it. So then you had to find other methods to keep your kids cool during the hottest part of the year.
Theme parks also took longer to get up and running this summer, and when they did, they still had to limit their visitors in order to keep social distancing a high priority. Looking on the bright side, lines were considerably shorter than ever before.
Some theme parks have been able to reopen, but require reservations so they can limit attendance. Be sure to plan ahead and find out what you need to do BEFORE you pile in the car or fly to the desired destination.
Milestones Missed
This one has been especially hard on a lot of us. Thousands of couples have had to make the difficult decision of postponing their weddings until a later date. Family reunions have also been put on hold while many families’ holiday get-togethers aren’t going to be happening this year. Many people were unable or scared to attend funerals because of the fear of the spreading virus.
Another big challenge is having a loved one get sick or move into an assisted living facility and not being able to visit them when they crave the attention we could provide.
Top Things Pre-Corona That Everyone Misses
Final Word
For most of us, it’s the little things that we once took for granted that we miss the most. We were once able to go just about anywhere and do anything without having to worry about harming other people, getting sick ourselves, or just forgetting your mask when it’s required.
I miss my normal routine or being able to give someone a much-needed hug. I even dare to say that I miss just having normal daily struggles instead of waking up to coronavirus statistics every morning. What is something that you have had to surrender this year that you miss so much? I sure do miss life pre-corona and I look forward to my normal life returning in due time, whatever that new normal might be. May God Bless this world, Linda.
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The only thing we’ve really missed is family coming for the holidays. 4th if July and Christmas. We usually have my sis-in-law and her hubby come for those holidays. They live about 400 miles away. The last time we saw them was last year in Hawaii. They went with us.
Hi Deborah, this will be a very different Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. We can do Facetime but somehow that’s not quite the same! LOL! Linda
That is so true. It will be just the two of us this year, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not sure if any of the kids will show up for Christmas or not. We will be having ham for Thanksgiving, turkey breast for Christmas. We will have the traditional meals, just smaller amounts. LOL
Hi Deborah, we trade-off making Sunday dinner with two friends every other week. So the four of us will be celebrating together. We have to be careful, the four of us all over 70. I ordered Thanksgiving dinner to be delivered frozen, I will just reheat. Life has to be simple this year. Linda
P.S. I will be making homemade cranberry sauce and dinner rolls. Linda
I’ll make dinner rolls as well. Not having dressing this year. I’ll make a broccoli casserole, though. Probably some kind of potatoes, either mashed or scalloped. And a SF Pumpkin pie with a coconut flower crust.
Hi Deborah, we just have to enjoy the day no matter where we are. Life is good! Linda
I can’t relate to well. I’ve not missed a day of work, shopped even during the lockdown and did not miss the traffic at all during the lockdown. I’m not a social butterfly, I ripped the wings off that years ago.
I live in a fairly free state so we’ve been open.
My immediate family lives near me and the rest aren’t really about me so one excuse not to be together is as good as another. PaPas gonna make sure there is a Christmas and ain’t no politician gonna change that. Anyone shows up to my door and they best have a present in their hand or it’s gonna get real ugly real fast. There’s lines ya don’t cross and that thinking you run my household is one.
Schools yeah the social aspect is missing but that’s only for kids that enjoy it and a bunch of the high schoolers should be thankful for the lockdown cause they were failing lol.
I worked out during the lockdown with a few tweeks.
Don’t be a dinosaur, adjust and adapt so you don’t perish.
Now I’m off to social distance for a week to deer hunt. Y’all stay safe
Hi Matt, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! Let us know when you get your deer! Gotta fill the freezer! Bring on family, you are so lucky to live by your family! Life is good when we follow our head, heart, and gut! God bless us all! Linda
The 2 biggest things I miss are seeing my daughter and son-in-law and the 4 grandkids on a regular basis AND church – I can go to church but it just is not the same as before when we could hug each other and share coffee and pastries. Now we have to sit 6-8 feet away, wear a mask and sign in when we get there! Just not the same. I am still on the fence as to whether I’ll be going to my daughter’s for Thanksgiving. Will wait and see what Christmas will bring.
Hi Leanne, I hear you about the church, it’s not the same. When I was growing up we had juice, coffee, and pastries at church! Not anymore! People need social BIG TIME! Crazy times! I miss the hugs too! Linda
Hi Linda, While I miss the social interaction, I’ll actually be sorry when things get back to ‘normal’. I like the slower pace of life and being able to sit outside and hear even the smallest insects now these aren’t being masked by the roar of planes overhead. Even inability to scour the shops during our ‘pauses’ (ie lockdowns) meant I avoided impulse buys so now I have money to spend on things I really want. I’ve also honed my cooking skills so I can now turn out meals equal to any restaurants’, had time to practise my sewing so I can now make clothes which don’t look hand made and, in a lot of ways feel COVID has strengthened my belief in myself and my abilities.
Hi Carol, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this comment. You know we really do need to smell the roses right now in this crazy time. I love your statement “COVID has strengthened my belief in myself and my abilities”. Thank you for sharing, Linda
Please thank your daughter for the work she does. I pray you all stay safe and healthy. We have three generations in law enforcement. I thing if the police were defended for just one week, the radical left would lose their minds…..along of course, with their wallets, and their cars, and anything else not nailed down….. It fine, to deface, loot and burn other peoples’ property until it’s YOUR property. And during that week, NO private police for any government officials. Let them live like us commoners.
I miss HUGS. I miss my son, my daughter-in-love, my daughter and her delightful husband. I miss my grandsons who have grown by leaps and bounds. They have ALL been put on notice, that the minute it is safe, I am going to squeeze the stuffing right out of each of them….. of course the youngest, wants to know how the stuffing will be put back in…..I’ll have to work on that. My grandsons know we have an open door policy, so we miss them popping in. I need them in my life like I need air. Unfortunately both my daughter and my son have been “exposed ” thru work so there will be no Thanksgiving dinner for us.
Hi Chris, oh man, they were exposed! Darn! We just heard two people across the street have COVID, I wonder when this mess will end. The youngest, have will be put the stuffing back in, that melts my heart! I always if our kids and grandkids realize how much we need them, I know I do! Great comment, it made me smile! Linda
Chris:
I feel for you. I also feel so lucky that my son and daughter-in-love live on our property in a small trailer and my daughter lives in our house. I was reading a email from her boss saying the office was open but you had to call and make a appointment before coming because the doors would be locked so his secretary could be safe for her family. Now that does not sound like anything special but when you realize she is in a job that is considered essential then it takes on even more meaning. She works for the local police station. This was a reiteration of what he said in March. She has a wonderful boss. I get worked up when I hear someone say defund the police or do away with them. The little town she works in has some of the worst drug crimes in our state.
Hi Jackie, wow, I love hearing you have family living close by, my friend. Defunding the police is not an option in my opinion. I do not want to get political here but what are they thinking? Linda
Please thank your daughter for the work she does. I pray you all stay safe and healthy. We have three generations in law enforcement. I thing if the police were defended for just one week, the radical left would lose their minds…..along of course, with their wallets, and their cars, and anything else not nailed down….. It fine, to deface, loot and burn other peoples’ property until it’s YOUR property. And during that week, NO private police for any government officials. Let them live like us commoners.
Hi Linda, I mostly miss my sister of 92 yoa. She had covid and beat that nasty thing. She was living in an Assisted Living facility. My hubby and I would take a complete dinner to her once a week, and after setting the table real pretty, we would all sit down and enjoy. I know that she so enjoyed those times and she said more than once that she “didn’t belong in this place”. She said that she just didn’t
belong with “all of these old people” She had been so active all of her life and was a very social person. She worked until she was 84.
I think the think I miss the most is being able to visit and give her a hug and let her know that we loved her. DAMN this Covid. I was looking forward to this being over so we could start visiting again. She passed on November 13th, so I’ll never get that chance again. Even though she was 10 years older than me, we were very close and I mourn her loss and wish I could turn back time for just a little bit to get and give that final hug.
Sorry, I know this sounds very DOWN, but I just needed to “talk” to someone.
Please stay safe and have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving.
Hi Suzanne, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about your sweet sister’s passing. I can visualize the pretty table you set for her each week. What a blessing that was for both of you. I second this DAMN Covid. I can only imagine how hard this would be to not be able to hug your sister, hold her hand, and look straight into her eyes with love. This makes me so sad, I’m so glad you shared this moment with us. We are all here to uplift one another. Happy Thanksgiving my sweet friend, may God bless you and your hubby. Stay well. P.S. I’m writing the post Pumpkin muffin as we talk. Stay well, hugs from Utah, Linda
You might think this is sorta crazy but most of the items on your list I didn’t do in the first place. The thing I miss is being able to have a actual face to face doctors appointment. Phone call appointments don’t let you show what is bothering you and when you have a chronic problem they are no help at all. Even a call on a I pad does not do me any good because you can’t see the problems on that either;.
Hi Jackie, oh my gosh, this is so true! I went to get blood drawn for my yearly checkup and so they could refill my cholesterol medicine. I refuse to go back in for the results to pay a co-pay. I can figure out the blood tests myself. Well, they forgot to order my LIPID (cholesterol numbers). So I call about 4 or 5 times and leave a message. I finally get a callback, they need me to come back in for another blood draw. I was not happy. But I went back in and finally got the results about two weeks after that. It’s so frustrating. But I’m good for another year. The doctor I visit is awesome (actually an asst.) but the staff needs some training. Stay well, Linda