The simplest of pleasures

I should have known this would happen: I drafted an entire blog post before the weekend about how I wasn’t missing lockdown At All. How I was already longing for the simpler times when evenings were for reading and quiet contemplation, not for staring down FOMO and trying not to think about how much FUN everybody else was having. 

But it took me less than 24 hours of the new post-lockdown era for me to find myself in a hotel bar, contemplating a pint that had been placed in front of me, and grinning from ear to ear as I looked from one friend to the next, saying, ‘Isn’t this so cool? Just, like, so cool??’

You have to believe me: I’m not a complete hypocrite. I do earnestly feel that the enforced down time was good for us (for me, for an anti-social introvert like myself, obvs). But when a couple of friends suggesting finally taking a long-discussed bike trip along a trail that runs by my home, I couldn’t say no.

Bracing fresh air, views of the countryside, light exercise... and hanging out with my friends! I mean, who could resist?

Yes, we had to comply with new regulations about wearing face masks on public transport. And when we found a hotel that was open for business, we had to be shown to a specific table that was at least two metres from other diners. 

But... 

• I got to leave Co. Dublin for the first time in two months

• We were on the Royal Canal Way, which has been thoughtfully landscaped to accommodate walkers and cyclists. The beautiful lush green fields of north Co. Kildare cheered me up no end, despite the weather remaining determinedly dull

• I had my first pint of lager – served up in a pint glass n all! – in three months. No less miraculously I was served a plate of wholesome goodness in the form of a quinoa, pomegranate and mango salad. As a very wise cousin once said, ‘There’s nothing nicer than eating a salad you didn’t make yourself...’

• I was lucky enough to spend time in the company of three intelligent and interesting people

It was, in short, the perfect day!

In recent weeks, I’ve fretted that the end of lockdown would mean a headlong rush back into the madness that preceded it. That I would find myself pawing at the door of the nearest fast-fashion outlet, pleading to be allowed in to browse the discount bins once more.

I was afraid that I’d slip back into old habits as soon as conditions permitted. 

But I’d forgotten the excitement of getting on a train, the visceral satisfaction of sipping on a cool beer in the middle of the afternoon (it feels soooo bold!), and the joy of being in fun, stimulating company.

In indulging, in other words, in the simplest of pleasures. Lockdown or no lockdown.