Undo or Save Changes?

The UK is now heading towards "life after lockdown", as we are seeing daily or weekly changes to the lockdown rules and things are heading back towards 'normal'.  Schools are partially re-opening; you can get Drive Thru McDonald's (if you're prepared to queue); zoos and parks will be re-opening soon, and the two-metre rule could be relaxed to just one metre.

So, as the worst of the pandemic is over (and I know this is debatable), what will you do in the post-lockdown world?  Undo, or save changes?

Would you prefer to go back to things the way they were?  Exactly as they were?  Back to the office commute; the school run; the weekend dash to the supermarket?  The cinema, the theatre, football matches?  Don't misunderstand me, a lot of 'normal' was good, while other aspects have benefited from the change.  Do we all need to pile into our cars and drive to an office several miles away, or can we work from home?  Have Zoom, Skype and Teams been able to substitute for face-to-face meetings (with colleagues, customers, friends and family)?

Would you like to preserve some of the changes?  Is working from home suiting you?  Do you miss the school run?  Yes - me, I do.  Have you had to support local businesses more, because queuing outside the supermarket and round the car park hasn't appealed to you?

I'm not saying lockdown has been all good.  It has, quite honestly, been a struggle.  Human beings aren't designed and built to be isolated - "it is not good for a man to be alone" - and I am eager to see my friends and family face-to-face, with a hug and a handshake.  The underlying tension of, "Will I catch it?  Will I transmit it?  Will I be a serious case?" has certainly helped me focus on staying in lockdown, but as lockdown is easing I will be delighted to see people I've missed.

What have I learned?  On one occasion in about week 4 or 5 of lockdown, I was encouraging my children, saying, "We'll find things to do, we'll have lots of activities, we can do this, or that...." and so on, and one of them replied, "Dad, you're really cheerful, aren't you?" Maybe I'm more optimistic than I thought I was (and I know I can usually find the bright side).  I'm also less of an introvert than I believed.  

So: things I will be delighted to undo:

- not seeing friends and family (I will be doing this more, offline and online)

- not going to church. I have really missed meeting my church family

- not going charity-shopping. It's one of my favourite going out activities

- not shaking hands. If you're reading this, I owe you at least a handshake

- depending on social media for contact

Things I will be saving:

- spending more time looking after my neighbours 

- spending more money on local businesses instead of supermarkets

- a more patient approach to online shopping (yes, Amazon is fast, but I am preferring to wait and buy from other sites, or even local stores who've moved online).

So: undo, or save changes?