I can’t believe I’m sat here writing a post about what I’m looking forward to in Step 2 out of lockdown. It’s only a couple of weeks away now and it’s difficult to get my head around. Things have been stagnant for so long. In fact, I’m writing this post a year to the day since Boris Johnson announced the first lockdown.
What a year it’s been! What a rollercoaster of emotions we’ve all experienced. What a journey we’ve all been on. I’m sure you, like myself, have learned many lessons during these last twelve months, things we want to take forward into our future. I will share the lessons I’ve learned with you during this tumultuous year soon.
In this post though, I want to talk about the things I’m most looking forward to, as we edge towards Step 2 of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown on the 12th of April.
LOVE IS IN THE HAIR
First and foremost, I simply can’t wait for a haircut. I know this will be on the top of many lists! My hair isn’t in the best of conditions, with dry ends and new greys that I didn’t have before.
I have light brown/blonde highlights and you can imagine what it looks like now, since I had it done last November. I’ve already booked my appointment with my amazing stylist because she books up really fast even under normal circumstances.
I also can’t wait to get Shivam to the barber’s. He hasn’t had a haircut since December. During lockdown 1.0, Sukh and I gave him a haircut ourselves out of desperation. It was terrible and I wasn’t going to subject him to that again this time round! It’s now so overgrown he looks like a different boy.
IT’S NICE TO BE KNEADED
A massage is also high up on my list, above shopping and even above eating out. I’ll come to those in a bit. I normally treat myself to a full body massage once a month. I know some people may think this is a luxury but as I’ve said in previous posts, self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. And a massage is a form of self-care for me.
I lead a very busy life and an hour at a spa just helps me to unwind and press pause on a hectic life, with my constant running around. At the moment I feel I’m all knotted up and need some ‘kneading’!
IN MY ELEMENT WITH H2O
I’ve been working out since January and I feel great. My workouts aren’t about losing weight but to keep fit and healthy. I’ve got a nice routine going and I’ve never felt so energised. Exercise also helps with my chronic back issues. Strengthening my core and legs help to keep my back pain-free.
However, the rigorous routines do take their toll on my knees every few weeks. So I can’t wait until the pools open. I love swimming and had started to get into a bit of a routine pre-lockdown. There’s nothing quite like a good swim to give your whole body a workout with low impact.
Going to a pool twice weekly will reduce some of the HIIT sessions I do, yet still allowing me to exercise five times a week. Thankfully, I have Mondays off and I work a later shift on Thursdays, so I can easily schedule it in while the kids are at school!
BORN TO BE WILD
I don’t know about you but I can’t wait for a trip to the zoo! We usually make an annual trip to Twycross Zoo or West Midlands Safari Park. We’ve made the most of parks this last year. As a family, we’ve rediscovered our love of the outdoors in the most simplest form, with bike rides and long walks. However, we love our zoo trips and we have a lovely one not far from us either!
So this is definitely something we want to do as soon as we can. Thankfully the restrictions ease during the Easter holidays, so we have a few days to make this happen. We’re not keen on venturing to a theme park just yet, but we usually tend to go twice a year. So once we feel a little more comfortable, we’ll make plans for a visit.
GIRLS JUST WANNA SHOP
I’ve become so accustomed to shopping online and I’m not itching to get back into retail stores as much as I thought, but I do love a good afternoon shopping. I enjoy the experience of it and miss seeing the physical product rather than doing a bit of guess work.
The thing I think I miss the most is a shopping trip with Shalini. It gives me some much-needed quality time with her and we always have great fun when we’re out shopping together (without the boys!).
JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER
I love reading. I love the smell of a book, the feeling of turning a page, the joy you get from binge-reading when a book is just unputdownable. But there’s nothing like a visit to the library. When I was a girl, a trip to the library was my favourite thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. I used to spend a long time browsing and then reading in one of the nooks. We could only check out four books at a time back then.
Now it’s something like 15! Shalini and Shivam used to really enjoy a trip to our local library but that stopped as they grew older. During lockdown, they’re rediscovered their love of books, so we will definitely make a visit in the Easter holidays. We have a lovely little library just a short walk away.
LOVE AT FIRST BITE
As a family, we’re quite good at keeping restaurant visits to a minimum because we love cooking meals at home. But we do enjoy eating out a few times a month. I enjoy my lunches with my friends too, so it’ll be so nice to be able to do this again.
The thought of being able to visit restaurants and pubs with outdoor eating facilities feels strange. But we’ve planned a couple of things during Easter, so it’s something we’re really looking forward to.
MUSIC TO MY EARS
I strongly believe in extra-curricular activities for kids and I can’t wait for their return. Shalini plays the guitar and should have been sitting her Grade 5 exam this spring, had things been ‘normal’. I’m looking forward to her getting back to her lessons.
Shivam’s Wing Chun lessons have continued online throughout lockdown but there’s nothing like being in the actual studio with his Sifu and the rest of the students. There’s only so much you can accomplish in martial arts in isolation. 
I’m also keen for Shivam to return to his swimming lessons. He was doing really well just before lockdown, with his technique and capability reaching new highs. We’re keen for him to get back to that level.
So that’s what I’m looking forward to in Step 2 out of lockdown. What are you most looking forward to most? Drop me a comment below.
While you’re here, why not check out my recent post about teaching my kids about gratitude.
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