There's a saying that goes: the days are long, the years are short. And I find myself nodding along to that trite phrase staring out the window to a grey London sky on the dawn of this new year. The rainy grey dark makes it hard not to flashback to lockdown 3.0-- from January to March 2021--three months that pushed the UK public to the limits of their mental health.
We're not there anymore. The world has opened up again. But we're now living the consequences of lockdown-cum-Brexit madness, not that anyone in the government is using the B word. The UK is in the midst of the worst recession since the 1980s. A solid core of people are choosing between turning on their heating and eating. Train drives have gone on strike at least six times in the last eight months, ambulance driver have taken their second round of strikes, nurses have opted to walk out for the first time in British history.
We're the lucky ones in so many ways. We have decent jobs, we can afford insane inflationary prices, travel is not off the cards for us. But the current state of affairs still feels pretty grey.
Perhaps because of this, I've abandoned any attempt to make a new year's resolution in 2023. It's been a dwindling practice for a while now but this small act seems like the only two fingers I can lend towards capitalist systems that demand more, more, more all the time. I'm sick of the chaotic pace of work, of climbing a slippery pole and expecting to do this with a smile when more gets piled on the plate but it's a recession so just muck in. I'd like to abscond to kidney island, Paul and my fantasy tropical island where health problems don't exist and money is not needed.
In the absence of this imaginary utopia, I'm doing what I can to reclaim the little in my sphere of influence. I'm taking advantage of cheap weekend flights to visit friends who live in sunnier European cities. (Hello, Lisbon! Hello, Berlin!) I'm taking Frank for walks between rainstorms. I'm attempting to find the beauty of weekend afternoons in London pubs, particularly ones with big fireplaces.
In short, I'm still here. And if you live in London and have a pub recommendation, I'm all ears.
