after having a great meal with friends followed by an evening at one of their homes, we created a chat group. Just the four of us, because we all seem to share the same values and just want to support each other. This lead me to think about creating a podcast for others who may be in a similar situation.

The pandemic, lockdown and isolation for 2 years has led to a lot of people struggling with getting back out there, me included. I am having a range of thoughts and feelings about the inevitable ‘getting on with life’ acceptance now that we know Covid is out there and probably is there to stay. During lockdown there was part of me that was never going to mingle again until the virus was eradicated, part of me also started to enjoy being at home with my family. However, I think I also became more lazy and depressed as I seem to find any excuse not to go out (even though, when I have, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself). I even avoid Facetime or Teams/Zoom meetings with people although this was partly down to the fact that I lost a crown and couldn’t get to the dentist for a year, so didn’t enjoy people seeing me like that.

I know there are many more of us out there and I’m really hoping that this podcast is a start for us all to feel ‘supported’ into doing what feels right for them. I’d like this to feel something like a coffee morning, where no discussion is off topic and I’m really hoping we can all contribute to making it a fun environment where we can all feel better knowing we are not alone and maybe get the courage to get back into normal society again.

I hope that you will join me and if you have random thoughts that you would like to share, or questions you would like to ask, why not send me a line at chatting_bear@outlook.com, nothing is off limits, which can be a dodgy thing to say, however, Id like to think we can discuss anything here and if it helps others, then lets go for it.