Our lives have been turned upside down over these past months in so many different ways. Back in March when all of the strangeness first began we tended to think ‘well, a few weeks of this and then we can all go back to normal again’. Five months on and we can see how the world has changed beyond recognition. To me it feels like there is no return to how things used to be but this does not have to be a bad thing.

Obviously there are some people who are undergoing the most awful hardships due to covid and the lockdown. We cannot ignore the fact that certain areas of society – already experiencing severe challenge – will have been suffering all the more because of covid. In particular poverty, domestic abuse, mental health issues, loneliness – these are all things that have been exacerbated over the last months. These issues need to be addressed.

In my own personal life I have found that the lockdown has given me some time to think about how I want to live my life in a quieter, simpler way. This is not to say that I did not feel incredibly fortunate in having been able to travel, regularly see live music and theatre performance and having the joy of going out to restaurants. But maybe we did not really appreciate all of this. Today I went out with my two grown up sons to have lunch at a lovely pub. This is the first time I have been out for a meal since lockdown and I can honestly say that it was all the more pleasurable for it. It felt like such a treat!

I think that I am enjoying having a simpler life, where going out will occur much less frequently but will be all the more special because of it. I have been reading loads, going out on my bike, doing the garden, visiting the coast and it has been lovely. Before lockdown it was all about planning the next far flung holiday, arranging an event, booking meals or the theatre, so that this all somehow became run of the mill, no longer exciting.

This is not to say that I do not want the arts and the hospitality industry to come back, my children’s livelihoods depend on these sectors returning.

However, I am going to be much more mindful of trying to live a simpler, calmer life because I have found that I do really quite enjoy it.