It’s been 11 months and counting. Don’t leave your house. Can’t see your family or visit your friends. Don’t travel. Can’t go to restaurants. Grocery store aisles have arrows to tell us which direction we are allowed to walk.

Months and months of “can’ts” and “don’ts” have partnered up with an endless supply of “nos” and “better nots.” The coronavirus pandemic has sure made us miserable, right?

Now, with a vaccine on the way, we can soon say goodbye to COVID-19 and its carnage and move on with our lives. Goodbye and good riddance, yes?

Not so fast.

What comes next is not intended to be insensitive or in any way demeaning to the many families who lost loved ones or the countless businesses that were crippled and often crushed under the weight of COVID-related rules, regulations and closings.

That said, we are going to miss this pandemic. Not the losses of life and economic brutality that it has wrought. Not the germs and buckets of hand sanitizer, or the missed birthday parties, graduations, births or weddings. Not the time lost with family and friends that can never be clawed back and reclaimed. None of that.

What we will miss, though, is us. We.

This pandemic sent a clear message to anyone who was listening. Slow down, appreciate your life, put your arms around your loved ones. Talk, laugh, stream shows and play games. Get to know each other. Don’t just do what you have to do. Do what you need to do. Read and play with your kids. Build forts and Lego towers. Rub your pet’s bellies. Open up a book. Get some rest. Catch up.

Remote learning, virtual meetings, social distancing and lockdowns all became a part of our daily conversation. But there was a blessing in there for those of us who looked and thought and worked for it. Let’s take a walk. A cup of coffee together in the morning. Wine, hot chocolate and a movie at night. Small things, everyday things. They became bigger. More meaningful.

Families were put to the togetherness test, maybe like never before. While some parents grumbled at their refilling nests, others relished in this unexpected gift of time, of togetherness, of intimacy.

Many parents learned. They came to find that a child couldn’t pay attention in class or had a fight with a best friend. Sons and daughters who were on what looked like successful paths to adulthood shared their losses, insecurities and anxieties. Parents listened and hoped.

No one will ever say that COVID-19 was a good thing, but it most certainly will come to an end. What about all that we learned and did and gained from all of this time we had with our families and loved ones? The extra “we” time? The smiles on our faces when we think of when it was just “us”? Will that too come to an end?

We hope not.

Married for 34 years, Julie and David Bulitt are, respectively, a family therapist and divorce lawyer.