SO, FREEDOM IS HERE. Or, at least, coming into view. As fewer rules restrict our movements, our meals, our hugs and our holidays, we must revisit the perplexing questions that once formed our internal monologues. What do I fancy for dinner tonight? Shall I go to the movies? Do I greet my colleagues with a kiss, or a handshake?
The frustration of these decisions no longer being delegated to government health officials is that one must start choosing. Which overpriced coffee shop do I want to buy my latte from? What excuse can I use for getting out of that birthday party? Which newly-reopened soft-play centre is least likely to be crawling with germs?
As one of Thatcher’s children (generationally speaking; I’m not actually Maggie’s lovechild), I was brought up to believe that freedom and choice are somehow inextricably linked (even if, as with privatised water-boards and train companies, the choice on offer is entirely illusory). But too much choice is dizzying. Look at how many competing postal services we now have—that’s of theoretical benefit to consumers; but, as a citizen who just wants to send a parcel occasionally, it’s confusing to decipher which one to use.
Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?
