“I miss the pandemic. I loved the lack of crowds on buses and conversations with people I don’t even like.”

Fortunately, the coronavirus pandemic is over. There are still cases of illness, but there is no comparison to what happened 2-3 years ago. For many people it was a time of huge losses and fear for themselves and their loved ones. However, government restrictions and lockdowns also had their positive consequences. What good things happened to us during the pandemic? I talked to a few people about it.

Advantages of the pandemic? Remote work. “I can’t imagine spending 2 hours every day commuting now”

– If there was anything good in the pandemic, it is that companies have learned that remote work makes sense. And sometimes even more sense than wasting several hours a day commuting just to do exactly the same job from the office – said Ola. Many companies have introduced the possibility (and sometimes even necessity) of remote work. Some of them still provide employees with this opportunity. Thanks to this, we save a lot of time and money on daily commutes to and from the office, and the work we do is the same. There are also many advantages for personal and family life.

I’m at home and I’m close to my kids, and they’re close to me. Yes, sometimes it makes me crazy, I want to leave, run ahead and never come back. But when I was as old as they are now, I saw my mother after 6 p.m., and my father only on weekends. I don’t want this kind of family life for my children

– said Kinga.

– Working remotely, or rather coming to the office whenever you want, like to a coworking space or a library, is a huge improvement in the comfort of life! Also by saving time and reducing everyday fatigue and irritation caused by, for example, waiting for a bus, crowds in public transport, traffic jams in the car during rush hours, etc. – Monika enumerated, and Kasia added: – I really appreciate remote work. Something that initially seemed terrible has become a huge help in life. I can’t imagine spending 2 hours every day commuting now.

I miss the pandemic in that I didn’t have to leave the house if I didn’t feel like it. I loved the lack of crowds on buses and the lack of conversations with people I don’t even like. Now I have to go to the office every day and it doesn’t make me smile

– Agnieszka confided.

“I started going for walks every day because I was afraid I would never be able to”

I definitely started to appreciate relationships more. Until now, we have become accustomed to meeting friends at home, cooking together or playing board games.

– said Kamila.

– My positive associations with the lockdown are that, paradoxically, I started moving more often and regularly. Of course, sometimes I take breaks, but I have something in the back of my mind to always come back to it somehow. I started to appreciate a simple walk outdoors and the fact that I had the forest next to me. Thanks to the pandemic, I actually started going for walks every day because I was afraid I would never be able to again, said Iwona.

– Thanks to the pandemic, I learned, among other things: to go out without makeup – Paulina confided. – I always had complexes about my skin and all I could do was go to the store, but now I can’t do anything – cinema, city center, restaurant, whatever. For some it’s probably normal, but for me it’s a big step.

“We were forced to change the wedding date and reduce the number of guests. It was the best decision in the world.”

Although the pandemic did not induce positive emotional ecstasy for many people or facilitate interpersonal contacts – at least in traditional form – new faces appeared in the lives of some people who changed their lives significantly. – I got pregnant, and 9 months later I gave birth to my pandemic baby – Ula recalled.

I fell in love! I met my partner a week before the lockdown, so now I remember those beginnings very positively!

– Kasia said, and Monika added:

I have crazy romantic memories from 2020 that probably wouldn’t be possible without this vibe called ‘the world is ending’.

– I was one of the “lucky” people who organized a wedding in the middle of the pandemic. Government restrictions attacked us from all sides, sometimes from one day to the next we learned that there could be 10 people at the party. It was impossible to plan such a large event as a wedding. We were forced to change the date and reduce the number of guests from 200 to 50. Today we know that it was the best decision in the world. We had a great time, we were really surrounded by our closest people, we could talk to everyone for a long time and everything happened without much pomp and stress – said Ola.

“Everything can be ordered to a parcel locker. The strangest purchase? 20 kg of potatoes”

There were also more mundane matters that had a significant impact on our quality of life. Some learned how to cook or cut their hair, others dusted off books they didn’t have time to read. Still others finally cleaned up the attic or basement. My interlocutors also remember certain issues well:

– What was great for me was that during the pandemic, all official matters could be handled online! It was a huge relief, because now you have to leave work earlier, wait in queues, etc. – said Kamila.

I learned that everything – just everything – can be ordered to a parcel locker. Strangest purchase? 20 kg of potatoes picked up in the middle of the night

– Kinga laughed.

– The pandemic made me start cleaning regularly (once a week) so that I wasn’t surrounded by mess every day – added Iwona.

How do you remember the times of the pandemic and lockdowns? Do you still have any nice associations? New skills, loves, family members? We are very curious about your stories. Share with us in the comments.