People Share What They Miss The Most From Before The Pandemic

Late-night Options

"As a person who works nights, stores and restaurants that are open late. I used to be able to get out of work at whatever hour and have a dozen different grocery stores and fast food restaurants I could stop at on the way home, and now two years after the pandemic I have only one or two, and sometimes they'll be closed anyway for whatever reason."

-UltimaGabe

"same here!!! there was a 24 hour diner right by my house and I'd just go at 5 PM before work, or 2 AM on nights off when i didn't feel like cooking. all kinds of interesting people were there and the food was great."

"Also now basically all the stores close at 9 PM and so if I'm not right on my errands game when I wake up I miss it. I miss going to late-night movies guilt free too...technically I can still go but it's just not the same of course."

-good-titrations

"Same. Used to wake up around midnight on the nights I'd have to adjust myself for night shift and get grocery shopping done. It allowed me not to be in a crowd, take my time, and enjoy the silence."

-dm_me_kittens

No More Long Term Plans

"Not being able to book things long in advance because you have no idea what the situation will be like in a handful of months."

"You can sure as hell buy the tickets for a gig that’s happening months from now but is it actually gonna happen when it’s supposed to? Who tf knows 🤷♂️"

-eggsh*tter

"My Matchbox 20 2020 concert tickets now 2022 tickets. My teen is not amused that I am calling the band Matchbox 22."

-FlippingPossum

"This. I feel like I can’t plan anything more than two weeks in advance - trips, concerts, events , get-togethers. I avoided buying advance tickets for anything for more than 12 months, and went to my first indoor concert in 21 months in Dec 2021, and there was a Covid outbreak at the show. My events for Feb next month have been cancelled, AGAIN."

-kittykate416

It All Adds Up

"I guess I miss not having a stack of inconveniences that have to be dealt with in order to do public things. It's not that any one inconvenience is too much, but it's just so many little things."

-CarpeNow

"Amen to that. All the little things add up"

-mrsbebe

"Yeah. Like i actually don't like wearing a mask, don't like having to remember it, don't like how they feel, just... don't. Of course i'll still wear it and wear it properly wherever i go anywhere in public, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time i've ever actually complained about them out loud, and i still fully support mask mandates and the like."

-ComManDerBG

"Honestly it's the fucking worst... One of these little things... my favorite Sushi place has never re-opened for in person dining. Like, I can get take out from them still, and it is still great, they haven't missed a step on quality, but I really enjoyed having a seat in there with my wife and having some amazing sushi and fried rice."

-FourEcho

Thriving Instead Of Just Surviving

"Really living. This feels like just existing. I'm stuck with this overwhelming feeling of ennui. Bored with food, bored with TV, bored with social media, bored with books...😕"

-theneen

"I feel the same, a stagnant feeling."

-Ramen8ion

"I've been jumping from video game to video game show to show to keep myself occupied and entertained. There's only so much solo play and online interaction can make up for. I feel you."

-Leafs_Lifer

"Exactly this, I live alone, I tried to cope with weed, and basically doing tutorials, practicing stuff, gaming. but it doesn't work, these day i've been playing and suddenly i feel super depressed. It is hard to just think about stuff without great anguish."

-Pichuco

College

"I'm currently in first year of college. I hope next year I'll finally have some classes in the actual college instead of my bedroom."

-Branum8520

"I'm in my last year in my bachelor's program (undergraduate?) and I'd switched colleges right before the pandemic hit, so not only have I removed myself from a wonderful group of people in my previous college, whom I'd gotten close to, I've also spent the greatest part of my degree with people I've only ever talked to online, except a couple that I did meet once. Talk about bad decisions."

-ArihanK

"This. Absolutely this. I only got half of a university experience, half of my second and my whole final year were just me cooped up in my bedroom being absolutely miserable working my ass off on assignments which we normally would be able to work together on with friends in the study zones whilst hanging out. Online support? Forget about it. The university staff were so busy you had to book a week in advance for a one hour zoom call for any help."

"I just had my graduation ceremony yesterday and it took ages to click that it was for my time at university because it feels like I haven’t been a student in years even though it’s only been a few months."

-kirandoobles

"And the fact that we’re still paying full price for zero amenities and bullshit classes (some of which don’t even meet) is straight highway robbery."

-ProfessorSucc

Family

"My sister. Not seen her in person since the start as she works abroad. Sure we video chat, but 2 years is a long time to not see someone in person."

-stoatfoxbadger

"Yeah this is probably it for me as well, I’m the one overseas and I haven’t seen my family in 2 and a half years and it will be at least 3 before I am able. I’ve missed deaths, births, weddings and so many holidays and get togethers. At this point I have begun to feel so disconnected from their lives that it’s stressful thinking about trying to catch up and to be honest I am pulling away from them and becoming numb to it."

-PercivalSquat

"Having your family elsewhere really sucks. My family lives on the other side of the world, last I saw them was in 2018. I was supposed to travel in 2020 cuz I go visit every couple of years. Except I didn’t, rather, couldn’t. Going to be 4 years since I saw them. But that’s not it, I am never going to see my dad ever again because he died of COVID this year and I couldn’t be there due to travel restrictions."

-hepbirht2u

Sense Of Security

"Honestly, just the feeling of security we didn’t realize. You want to go out? Go for it. Making plans somewhere out of town? You go right ahead. Planning a vacation somewhere? No problem."

"Now you can’t really make any large scale plans without the decent chance it’ll get cancelled and you lose the down payments."

-tanktaylor85sx

"I finally gave up and got a refund after a music festival I had tickets to was postponed 4 times...like I get why, but there's only so much you can take"

-hoppedupsparrow

"Seriously. I miss being able to go out dancing whenever and have a ton of fun. I went on trips to visit friends across the country multiple times a year. It makes me too nervous now, because I literally cannot afford to get sick."

"I’m now going into my late twenties and it makes me so f*cking sad to miss experiences, and the ability to not have to worry about my career yet and what not. But that time is ending, and sh*t is getting so, so much more expensive."

-cherrib0mbb

Optimism

"My optimism for my future."

-Altruismisyourfriend

"My husband works healthcare. I miss when the smile would reach his eyes."

-Greatsex-daddyissues

"This. I was pretty pessimistic before Covid. This pandemic has shown me how there are so many people out there who have zero empathy for the lives of other people. The selfishness is astounding. It’s disheartening."

-pizzakisses

"This hurts, but yeah."

"Been tough to have faith in people to be smart, do the right/unselfish thing, the future of the world, opportunity to see more of it, any hope of getting out of my apartment, etc. Some of this is hyperbolic, but the repeated beatdowns and disappointments have been brutally disheartening. So I feel you."

-sixwax

Routines

"Not living in a constantly changing system. Pre-covid, everything was scheduled: School holidays, places were open to visit... But since Covid, everything that has to do with the government is constantly changing. I just miss being on stable ground."

-Elasp

-billybalverine

"Same... I've always been organized and being forced to jump from schedule to schedule gets me on my nerves."

-Elasp

"I relate to almost every comment on this thread, but yours especially. I am tired of this unstable ground as well. It feels like once in awhile you're holding something and it gets slapped out of your hands and replaced with a literal turd.'

-queenofthenerds

Normal Illness

"I miss the fact of just being sick without any other kind of concern."

-NotTheSharpestToolM2

"I have chronic, but mild, reflux, irritates my throat causing me to feel the need to clear it. Every other week it's been 'is this cough the normal cough or covid?' >_<"

-p75369

"Having seasonal allergies is a nightmare from a social grace perspective. Sneezing is like firing a blank in a crowd."

-danholtfromtxpornacc

"As someone with autoimmune issues, I've spent the whole pandemic playing 'Is it COVID this time or just my gradual physical decline?'"

"Its been fun."

-QuestioningHuman_api

You're not the only one feeling terrible because your life got turned upside down and seems like it might never get back to normal.

It might not be much comfort, but we're all in this together.