People Share What They Personally Miss The Most About Life Pre-Covid

People are still sorting through what changed most after Covid, and for a lot of them, it is the small everyday stuff that hurts the most. From late-night errands to spontaneous plans, the pre-pandemic version of life suddenly feels a lot farther away.

In this roundup, people share the routines, comforts, and simple freedoms they miss most, along with the losses that still linger underneath it all. Some answers are funny, some are blunt, and some hit a little too close to home.

The list gets more personal than you might expect, and a few of the responses are hard to shake.

Thank you for asking this question!

Underneaththeshade

Some people miss the little things more than they expected.

1. 24-hour stores, restaurants, fast food joints, and convenience stores

UltimaGabe

2. Planning for the future and booking well ahead of time

eggshitter

3. Going outside without worrying about whether you're wearing a mask or if you brought sanitizer

CarpeNow

4. The full college experience

Branum8520

5. Going to school with your peers (also, not being charged a ridiculous amount of money for attending school via Zoom)

httpsjul, ProfessorSucc

6. Living a full life that actually excites you

theneen

7. The cinema and saving up to actually attend overpriced conventions

lexiskh

8. Our loved ones who live far away, or in some cases, who are just a few houses down the block, but we still can't see them

stoatfoxbadger

That distance made ordinary visits feel like a luxury.

9. Feeling like the ground is not going to cave in under you at any moment

tanktaylor85sx

10. Reliable systems that we used to take for granted

Elasp

11. The people we lost

Lostarchitorture, ipauzed

12. Having a bit of hope and optimism

Altruismisyourfriend

13. The joy of finding a new hobby and meeting like-minded people

hsn001

That “should I cancel my parents visit” panic is real, like the person deciding whether to cancel due to unexpected circumstances.

14. Pre-pandemic weight and body type

millymoggymoo, DomLite

15. Is this seasonal allergies, the regular flu, or is it the Rona?

NotTheSharpestToolM2, p75369

16. Living in the moment

isoo506

17. Booking appointments with less hassle and more available slots

ethottly

18. Clear, enunciated words, unmuffled by a mask or barrier

oboshoe

19. For people who are hard of hearing, lip reading and the ability to communicate

OverDaRambo

20. Complaining about long lines at the airport before? Don't you miss the annoyance?

DrakeAU

21. Worry-free vacations and getting hammered before you have to go back home

OoohItsAMystery

22. Our dear old friends whom we haven't seen in person

Lonely-Tumbleweed-56

23. The restaurants and other small businesses that went out of business

WanderingGenesis

24. That favorite local spot that you hold near and dear to your heart. Special mention to El Amigo, who have many patrons missing them!

Complete_Entry

25. Labeling time without coronavirus

thisusernamed

26. Believing in the magical fabric of society

skulloflugosi, IndependentRoad3

27. Live music and concerts!

skyhawket

28. Living an interesting life

KDsmackeroni

29. Remember when capitalists didn't take advantage of a literal pandemic and just exploited us during non-Covid times?

purpleowlie, unknown

30. Wearing lipstick and it actually being seen by others

haleysv

31. Regular and not Covid-induced depression

Beneficial-Medium109

32. So much waste because everything is disposable now

OakNogg

33. Spur-of-the-moment decisions

MOS95B

34. We've been in a collective worldwide clench

fernshanks

35. Any topic at all

-domi-

Remember when we thought 2012 was the end of the world? We were so funny back then, and look at us now.

We're that meme of the dog where the house burns around him, and he sits calmly sipping his coffee, saying, "This is fine." This is our normal now, and all we can do is long for that life that we so callously took for granted.

We're doing our part by social distancing and being mindful of other people, but boy, does it suck. Hang in there, friend, and see you outside once it's safe.

It all feels a lot more fragile now.

Want “good old days” chaos? See the vintage photos where your grandparents lived without safety rules.