Some of us might need a little nudge, but it’s great to see people getting back to social life

So if in January 2020 you were the guy who rallied the troops for an impromptu pub crawl, picnic or golf outing, or someone who loves to organize charity dinners at the Intercontinental, remain that person today. And if you were the one who faked food poisoning to escape your work Christmas party, then you’re still the reluctant mongrel who tends to cancel at night anyway.

Covid has given these people carte blanche to dodge going out and they won’t give up the security blanket that easily.

Most of us would be average socializers and the direction here is more mixed. These are the ones who are a bit ‘meh’ about Christmas, half-hearted about any party really, but once fully introduced to the nightly economy, end up having a good time.

For this group, a lot hinges on working from home.

If you’re a nurse or work in a post office, you’ve left home every day for the last two years and switched your brain to human mode – making it easier to get back to a normal social life.

But working from home has turned many outdoor cats into indoor cats, who have become accustomed to doing their jobs in a predictable environment without other people approaching them. With no commute to get you out of the bunker, it feels natural not to commit to social arrangements after work.

Everyone says that working from home is about balancing life, but maybe it’s laziness that drives it — not work laziness, but social laziness.

From my own experience, before Covid I would try to meet interviewees in person, but now I’ve discovered people are just as likely as a canary to sing on Zoom, I’ve gotten sluggish.

At home I can pretend to look smart in two minutes and the coffee is consistent. But I miss the social interaction and I know there is more potential in meetings.

And I’m definitely less inclined to travel to socialize. My neighbor Angie has a meeting tonight and I’m excited as it’s my first house party in two years – not counting gardens – and they have so much potential for interesting conversations and To dance. But if she lived 10km away I bet I would apologize. But tonight I can escape if I’d rather read my book or if I can’t find anyone to talk to me.

I’ve taken it easy on staying home and going to bed early, but I’ve been out a few times and any hassle is worth it. In conversation with Folks, you know everyone has 99 problems. However, these can differ in intensity at certain times Existing in this world basically means being bombarded with constant nagging and hurdles to jump and chatting with others just makes you feel better.

Having children may make it easier to return to normal social life. The news is so depressing and can get you down, but having things like cobbling together World Book Day costumes pulls you out of the gloom; You just can’t think about the house and how lonely you are or how terrible it is that the world is falling apart. You have to sort this wand and chat with the other parents at the school gate.

Hosting is another area we should come back to because it’s soul warming.

If you enjoy throwing dinner parties then there won’t be a problem, but everyone else might need a little nudge.

After months of virtual book club, it was my turn to host this week, and I was so out of practice that it felt like a production like this brought guacamole and olives together. Then I was curious to see if the ladies would still like to stick their paws in the same bowl of nachos. I needn’t have worried as those who showed up were easygoing about Covid, it was done and dusted.

There is real Covid fear out there, I’m not downplaying that. Some have no choice.

You see people still wearing masks, even outdoors – although that might be an indoor cat’s tendency to hide instead of fear of illness. A friend’s mother still goes shopping at 8am, another friend refuses to enter a crowded pub.

But it really feels like the majority is snapping back. I was on Monday buy a new dress in Dundrum and half of the customers were masked, but when I came back yesterdaywas hardly anyone. However, on the Luas I felt like a bad person without a mask, I had to prop my five year old on my lap to hide my face. I felt social pressure and if I had had one I would have worn it.

But considering that just a few weeks ago Covid was writing all of our faces like that, it feels incredibly good to see social life returning so quickly. The inside Cats might take longer to venture out, but hopefully it’s just a matter of time.