It's not even that I want to get back in a pub anymore. I mean... I do. I really fucking do. But that's not the main thing. It's that they're the sign of things being halfway normal. I really need them to be open in the background.
The first time they closed, it did a number on me. 'The pubs are closed in England' is a horrible statement. It's like the show-don't-tell shorthand for catastrophic national emergency.
The first point I had when lockdown eased was honestly akin to a moment of religious transcendence. Then when things started locking down again last autumn/winter, I was desperate for pubs to stay open.
I probably wouldn't have gone in at that point. Covid was rampant and I hadn't had it yet. I didn't even think they should stay open. But I was emotionally desperate for them to, as proof of enduring normality.
Anyway that's what I'm most looking forward to next week. Not sitting down for a pint. Not even going in. But just walking past the noise and laughter and general clatter of a pub garden.
Although obviously, just to be clear: I am fucking going in and I am fucking sitting down for a pint.
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