As news tentatively touches on when lockdown might be eased, I’ve found my mind wandering to what lasting changes this episode may bring.
It’s hard to imagine a time when we can clink pints and prosecco in a bar – and sadly its estimated a third won’t be able to open by the time they can.
But a relaxation at least is on the cards.
Will life return as we knew it?
In most cases, from festivals to cinemas to a quiet pint from the Ferry to Fintry, we hope so.
But the positives brought by this nightmare include a fall to almost zero emissions, compared with the layer of gasses we emitted over the world pre-lockdown.
High-flying suits in finance no longer nip on monthly flights to New York for a meeting.
But more importantly, they see they don’t have to.
Studies show online conferences are often more productive than being in the same room. Bosses are wondering why they ever happened at all.
Before March, our levels of consumerism were monstrous.
Did I, for one, really care where things – T-shirts, pencil cases, bags, pants, lipsticks – came from?
Cheap tops that didn’t last but looked good when new, replaced at will.
Now I would rather pay a few pounds more for quality and buy less.
And I’d rather it was made in the UK – or even better Scotland – and even better than that, if possible, Dundee.
Read more from Martel Maxwell here
That may sound insular but the “who cares where it’s from” attitude means we don’t care how many miles a daft top has travelled to be worn twice.
It means we don’t care if it’s made in the countries where slave labour is rife.
It’s OK – in fact it’s beautiful – to think smaller; to support local businesses and people in need, our loved ones and friends and family.
Globalisation used to sound sexy. Now, it fills me with a little dread.
Of course we will still look to other parts of the world for some things, but there’s a wealth of talent to be nurtured closer to home.
I can’t help but think that in 20 years time, our children might just say: “Can you imagine the way things used to be? That people flew round the world just to shake hands with someone? And that mum bought us £5 tops that were flown thousands of miles and driven hundreds to our door? How mental is that?”
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