The old adage, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” has been running through my head quite a bit lately – for about two months, that is.

Normally, I am not the most social person. I got the bar hopping and partying out of my system at a young age. Actually, to be honest, that’s an overstatement as I pretty much always have been the boring one in almost every possible situation.

Indeed, I am just as happy lounging on the couch, watching re-runs of Judge Judy or some mindless cooking or ghost-adventure show.

Alas, that usually doesn’t keep my attention for long, and I end up turning in at 8 or 9 p.m. if I have the luxury of being home.

Fortunately, work keeps me busy and I often stick around the office to the wee hours of the morning catching up on emails or starting one project or another.

All that said, my mind has surprisingly shifted to thinking about what I’m going to do once life returns to normal and COVID-19 in but a bad memory.

Although I haven’t formalized my thoughts into a written list, I suppose there’s no time like the present to do so.

So, here goes.

No. 1 – A haircut. This is likely the oddest task on this list, as it typically doesn’t bother me much if my hair grows out a bit. However, since barber shops closed, I have had this uncontrollable urge to break with my three-monthish norm and get my ever-graying mane trimmed back a bit. Thankfully, I have resisted the urge to do it myself, although that is starting to sound like a really good idea. The down side would be having to eventually shave my head once I butchered my curls. That, of course, would be bad, as I would make a terrible Kojak – Who Loves Ya,’ Baby?

No. 2 – A meal out in a restaurant. With my busy schedule, I usually opt for take-out most nights of the week. The modus operandi for my brother and I is to grab some grub on the way home, go inside, strap on the feed bag and scurry off to our respective corners of the apartment. No, we’re not being anti-social or not wanting to spend quality time with one another, we just typically watch different things on TV – and Judge Judy isn’t my brother’s cup of tea. Since the dine-in option has been taken away, though, I really want to take an hour or so, venture out to a nice local restaurant and eat my way from the appetizers through the desserts and just watch the world go by. Sadly, I will likely only do this once when eateries re-open, then return to my normal take-out routine, but with that option gone – for now – I’d absolutely kill for a night at Surf or Buckley’s Great Steaks.

No. 3 – A stroll around the mall. I never have been much of a shopper, really. For the most part, I stick to the same area stores and have little imagination when it comes to retail excursions. In fact, the only way I discover news stores is by word of mouth from friends and co-workers, and the pages of The Telegraph. As soon as restrictions are lifted, I fully plan on rushing to the mall, not necessarily to buy anything, but to just window shop – and maybe ride the escalator a time or two.

No. 4 – A nice, long road trip. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve lived in New Hampshire for three years and haven’t really taken the time to explore all that much. The Granite State’s beauty is nearly unrivaled, and I would like nothing more than to examine all the state has to offer. Some of my bucket-list destinations include the White Mountains, Lake Winnipesaukee, Hampton Beach, Portsmouth and Santa’s Village in Jefferson. I also want to make my way down to Massachusetts more to visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Salem and Fall River, just to name a few. With any luck, I will be able to check a few of those off after COVID-19 passes.

No. 5 – A Red Sox game. This excursion isn’t exactly for me, it’s more for my brother. I’ve seen the Sox play a couple times in person, and aside from the atmosphere of a Major League Baseball game, I’m pretty content. I’m actually a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and much prefer PNC Park, but my brother has yet to see Fenway and the Green Monster. Fortunately, I was the lucky winner of two tickets to a game this year, so I’m excited to check that one off the list – at least for my brother.

Even though I could rattle off several more things I want to do when the pandemic subsides, I’ll leave it at that – for now. But, in a few weeks, if you see a bald guy devouring seafood at Surf, please feel to stop by and say hello.

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Matthew Burdette may be reach at 603-594-1240 or mburdette@nashuatelegraph.com Follow him on Twitter @Telegraph_MattB.

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