Kathleen MacMahon: A list to lift the spirits

Dogs enjoying the rush of air from a car window, small children deep in conversation, a kindly car park attendant. There is enough joy in the world to get us through the bad times

Every encounter with something sweet and good is even more precious than it was before the pandemic began. Picture: Getty Images

There’s never a shortage of things out there in the world to make you feel bad. Especially now, when disease seems to hang in the air that we breathe, along with danger and fear.

Before you step out your front door, you have to prepare – scrub hands, sanitise, get the face mask ready – and when you’re out there everything looks different. As you go about your shopping, smiles are not to be seen, ...