Let’s hope we can take life lessons after a year in lockdown

It feels like we have been here before but, maybe, hopefully, we are at the beginning of the end of coronavirus restrictions. If you are like me, last week’s announcement that we could now meet up with six people from six different households would have been greeted with howls of delight and an audible sigh of relief.

The past year and a bit has been hard. Hard for those living alone and suffering from loneliness, hard for parents with young children and hardest of all for those who have lost someone to this horrible virus.

Our cover star this week, Mel Giedroyc, talks to us about what she has missed during lockdown and the life lessons she has learned along the way. Of her friend and TV other half, Sue Perkins, she said: “Missing the companionship of good friends has made all of us realise how precious and short life is, and that we have to make the most of it.”

Reading Mel’s interview, on Pages 6&7, got me thinking about what I will take away from lockdown. Like Mel, I hope I can put life into perspective more. Being able to spend more time with family and getting an impromptu hug from my son in the middle of a work meeting has been a blessing that I will miss if we have to go back to so-called normality.

Another bonus has been having more time to do some much-needed DIY or pursue hobbies such as gardening. And as we know from our interiors and gardens section, Pages 34 to 39, creating something beautiful at home can be fantastic for our mental wellbeing. When we look back on this time, I hope we can appreciate those moments of joy in what has been the hardest of years.