 YES, this is the new shopping apparel. A strange new world and many of us are now home bound. Except for essential workers.
... And those of us who are bored and just want to get out. And the just want to get outers are becoming quite a controversy. With everyone so scared of getting COVID-19, seeing someone at the local Walmart or grocery store just browsing can be like a red flag. People have told me that when they try to plead for staying put they're often told to mind their own business. And that makes me wonder. When is someone else's business my business? I remember an old saying: My right to swing my arm ends at your nose. Yes, we live in a free country. We all have rights. But when our rights start messing up someone else's life maybe that's when we need to rethink how we exercise them. I haven't wanted to bug my kids to go out and do stuff for me so Gerhardt and I have been running to the grocery store and post office... in our masks. After all we're not that old! But, much as I hate to admit it, we're not that young either, and every time I go out I'm gambling on whether I'll pick up a germ or dodge one. What if I get sick? Then I'll be even more of a pain in the neck to my kids. I sure don't want that. Of what if I pick up a germ and wind up sharing it with my husband? We are now stocked up so I think it's time to stop swinging my arm and completely self-quarantine. (Besides, my one time wear mask I've had forever is probably long worn out and I'm down to one pair of disposable gloves!) How about you? Maybe you're not at an age where you need to be hiding at home, but do you need to be out when, well, you don't need to be out? (We're not talking about getting essentials, we're talking about dealing with cabin fever in a not so good way.) Are you out there swinging, figuring it's nobody's business? Maybe it's time to think about whose nose you could end up punching. Maybe it really is a good idea to stay put.
6 Comments
STEPHANIE K NEYERLIN
4/4/2020 11:06:41 am
I'm 44, but this virus doesn't really care how old we are or even about our underlying health conditions, or lack of them. My husband is 45, but he falls in the at-risk category with his hypertension, hypothyroidism, and diabetes. Therefore, when it became clear the virus was here, had been for a while, and was potentially deadly, we started exercising caution, limiting public outings, washing our hands, etc. As public health recommendations and orders went out, we decided on our own to only leave for true necessities: work, meds, and groceries. We had to leave to pick up our daughter from campus when they switched to remote-only, and we had to return with her to pack up her belongings when that became the plan for the rest of the semester rather than just two weeks. But we exercised social distancing measures, washed our hands frequently, and stayed to the plan of only stopping for gas rather than food on the way there or back. We haven't left the house in almost a month now that hubby is working from home, too, and we aren't planning on leaving any time soon. Yes, it's mostly about protecting ourselves and our immediate family, but it's also about protecting our neighbors and strangers because it's clear that nobody knows for sure whether they're infected or not and I'd be devastated to know I'm an asymptomatic carrier who caused someone major illness or death.
Laura A Paccagnini
4/4/2020 11:37:59 am
Well, here we go. I'm 61 years old with 3 different Autoimmune issues. Looking at me, you would think, what??? She looks fine. No folks. My two sons, living at home as they have student loan debt to pay off, are so afraid to make me sick, as they are both required to work, not from home. The new norm is wiping everything down that they touch with 70% alcohol. No shoes in the house, not boxes from deliveries, they are opened at the front door, what is inside them gets wiped down with a disinfectant or alcohol, and the boxes stay there until garbage day. Mail gets brought in by one of my sons, and left in the garage for a day before being brought inside. When they come home from work, they wash their hands, wipe everything they touch, refrigerator handles, microwave , kitchen faucet, food containers, and then stay in their rooms. Laundry get done 24 hours after they put them down the shoot. I don't go out at all. Prepping my landscaping for the spring and running my dog has been a lifesaver. Make no mistake, I've had to ask my doctor for a tranquilizer. Seeing my sons so worried about infecting me by accident, has stressed me out. As a mother, I don't, I repeat don't want them to carry that burden if I do contract covid 19. So I go out once a week, fully protected. I do this so that if need be, I can say, I went to .....last week...I bet that is where I contracted it. By the way, I go out when they are not here. One time I just went to the cemetary. 4/4/2020 12:17:20 pm
What great sons you have! I'm sure with all the precautions you are all taking that you'll be fine.
Carol
4/10/2020 05:59:44 am
It's Good Friday, and I am in a melancholy mood: 4/11/2020 10:26:43 am
I hear you. You make some good points.This has got to be frustrating for those who are healthy or have already had this and want to get on with their lives. The problem is that we just don't know who has and hasn't had it and there's no vaccine for it. Normally, during flu season most of us get our shot and then skip merrily on our way. Can't do that right now. It is hard to see where we are right now as a country. But we've survived all kinds of awful things - an influenza pandemic, a great depression and two world wars. I'm praying we all pull together as we have in the past so we can get over this and get strong again. Thanks for taking time to stop by and comment. Leave a Reply. |
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