Covid Blues, or I have no right to complain….

 

Thankful

First I have to say that most of the time the virus did not affect much of my life. In CR we don’t socialize much, we are always outdoors, masked in the grocery stores, and otherwise keep to ourselves pretty much. The same in the States. Either indoors with few trusted friends and family, or outdoors. In fact, I just left a small gathering of local folks outside, and when more people joined I went back to the camper.

Kayaking - a good way to avoid people

Test Frustrations

I took a Covid test just before I left CR in case I needed to prove it somewhere unforseen. Back in NC that allowed me one visit with my Dad. So I took two more to try and stay with the Covid rules at College Walk who required a negative test result within four days of the test. Unfortunately, the results don’t come back for a day or two - which only gave me a day or two to visit for my allotted hour.  We did manage a few truncated visits, however.   

Hiking....

More Alone Time

I won’t have as many visitors this year. Some friends are not easily (or want to be) available because of Covid, or related influences. Indoor activities such as restaurants are practically ruled out, as are museums, movies - anything indoors. Since returning I’ve been in stores only a handful of times, for food mainly. Almost everything I do is outdoors, and I’ve practically only been with family and a handful of friends since arriving back in the US in mid-December. There are a good number of mask-less folks here, although public places - stores, etc. even though they do require a mask. Between the constantly depressing news about illnesses and deaths from Covid, and feeling “on guard” constantly - I find Covid very invasive. 

Camping 

And I’m not even actually dealing with it directly! I can’t imagine how hard it is for those who are sick, have kind of recovered but still have after effects, and those touched by death. It’s outrageous that some people think it is all a hoax! To think that many people who have easy access to clean water, masks, space and ways to avoid transmission, yet refuse to comply with safety measures, just blows my mind. It’s also very disturbing how many millions of people on Earth have little or no access to these, making them much more vulnerable. Covid has certainly exposed the inequities of our world.

Washing out the masks

Etiquette

Wearing a mask in public is a no brainer for me. When I walk by people I hurry to pull up my mask. As I pass by them I hold my breath. Well used hand sanitizer sits in the cupholder of the car. I avoid restaurants, indoor activities, and try to make food shopping as brief as possible. The difficult times come when I meet up with friends, albeit outdoors, and try to decide whether I need to wear the mask. Do I stay if more people join a small outdoor group originally well spaced? Do I go inside friend’s homes without the mask? Obviously, hugging and handshakes are out, but occasionally I spontaneously touch someone’s arm in conversation, then pull away guiltily. I find myself feeling almost apologetic at times when I am the only person pulling up my mask. Yet I remind myself that I have to live within my comfort zone. And, although healthy, I’m 67. It’s a strange and frightening time.