Pandemic Nostalgia is a Thing. Am I a Monster for Feeling It?

It’s been six years since the world as we knew it changed entirely thanks to a global pandemic. Like most people, I miss parts of our pre-pandemic world (we’ve gotten a little too socially awkward, yaknow?), yet I also think this world-altering virus changed some things for the better.

But here's my little secret: From time to time, I miss those earliest days of the pandemic....and I used to be ashamed to admit that because, well...it wasn't exactly the happiest of times. When I recently dared to admit my pandemic nostalgia to a friend, she confided that she felt it too. 

To be very, very clear: I don’t miss the way the world felt, that sense of doomsday every day. I don’t miss the darkness or the fear or terrible news cycle or the death and destruction the pandemic brought upon so many people.

But I do miss how slowly time moved. I miss not feeling rushed all the time. I miss spending so much time with my family. 

Of course, it’s easy to look back at the pandemic and only remember the coziness of being quarantined, and blocking out all the anxiety we faced. When I think back to the quarantine days, I remember playing on the floor with my kids. I don’t immeadiately remember wiping down my groceries and feeling my heart sink with every news update, but that was the reality of that time.

But even with all the paranoia, I  think those pandemic days showed us that there’s a better way to live — with less hustle and less chaos. My husband, who works a demanding job with lots of travel, was suddenly home all the time, and the way he bonded with our children was indescribable. So many other families experienced that too.

We spent our days making food from scratch, snuggling with our kids, and resting, and just being grateful for the gifts of life and health. It’s a privileged stance to take, I know: So many people were forced to go back to in-person work and didn’t have the slow, cozy experience I did. 

I took so many lessons from the pandemic: The value of spending time doing nothing with the people I love. The fragility of life. The essential nature of unpaid labor. The importance of listening to experts…and the danger of failing to do so. It was a pivotal time in world history, and it forced us to reset on every level. 

And while I don’t want to go back to the darkness and turmoil of it all, I do think back fondly to those early days. For me, and I imagine many of you, it felt like the forced pause I desperately needed.