The Virus Diary: Wednesday, March 25th: Ups and Downs
What do you do on a weekend where you can do nothing? I
probably should have cleaned the house. I did clean the bathroom.
But it was relatively nice out so on Saturday I went for a nice long
walk. I keep asking my son if he'd like to go for a walk, but he
doesn't. I think this is a mistake, but... Most of the good stuff
that happened over the weekend were the result of my being SAFELY outside.
What do I mean by that?
Well, I walked and greeted people as I saw them, but I did stay a safe distance
away. I did not walk in the park, which is supposed to be closed, but
people are ignoring that. Not cool. As a result of my walk on
Saturday, I found a new development going up in the town next to us. As a
result, when I got home I grabbed "the boys" and did a drive
by. Not much of a family outing, but a family outing just the same.
In the same ride, I also
ventured into a liquor store. A friend had a birthday the past week and
she has four kids at home; wine was definitely needed. My son had also been
virtually tutored that week. His tutor is also a teacher in town and
knowing what she must be going through (and living on her own), a bottle for
her was also in order. I am not completely selfless; I bought a bottle
for myself too! The liquor store (which is large) was very serious in how
they handled the 6 foot rule. Lanes were clearly delineated and patrons
were asked to stay back from the register area until the person ahead of you in
line had departed. On the drive home, I checked in to make sure that the
birthday girl was available (I KNEW she was home) and told her that my son
would be leaving a package on her front porch for her to pick up. I
personally delivered the bottle of wine to my tutor/friend that evening.
I walked it down to her residence and she met me outside. We stayed
6 feet apart from each other, but had a long talk. Social distancing does
not have to be isolating! As she lives in an apartment complex and the
park is currently closed, I told her she was welcome to come and visit my yard
any time. We have a large backyard and lawn chairs that she was welcome
to use even if she just wanted to sit down and get a little sunshine. As
the days grown warmer, I hope she takes me up on my offer.
Sunday afternoon I went for
another walk. I did not intend it to be long, but...while I was out, I
passed a friend's house (at this point I thought I was about 2/3 of the way
done). He happened to be coming out to take his own walk. He
mentioned a trail nearby that I did not know about, so we ended up walking and
hiking. All the while staying far enough apart. We saw quite a few
people out on the trail (on feet and on bikes). It was something I would
NOT have done on my own and when all was said and done I walked nearly 7 miles
that afternoon. Not what I had planned, but then life has been throwing
us a lot of curve balls recently. At least over the weekend those
curveballs provided safe social interactions.
The song goes rainy days and
Mondays always get me down. This past Monday was a rainy (and
snowy!)
Tuesday came and the anxieties
of Monday followed as my husband and I headed out to the grocery store.
Though we have been cautious; have we been cautious enough? I don't take
my clothes off (in the basement so I can wash them right away) and immediately
shower after going to the grocery store. Maybe I should? I didn't
after yesterday's excursion. (Hey, a trip to the grocery is now an
excursion.) I have to say that the store was less crazy...maybe people
are getting into the groove of this pandemic? I was there early (as
always), the lot was busy, but not crazy. I did notice a lot more people
in masks, but there were less people. Meat was an issue again, but I
think that had to do with the meat section being the area that is currently
undergoing renovation, so...There was only one person ahead of me when I
checked out and the visit was probably one of my quicker ones.
The lack of chaos at the store
and the sunshine definitely lightened my mood. It stayed light until I
heard that the mother of a friend has the virus. She and her whole family are
obviously quarantining. I stood next to this friend a little over a week ago.
Were we six feet apart? I don't know. And so the anxiety starts
again. With every sniffle, cough or "strange feeling" I
wonder. But don't we all feel that way these days?
It doesn't help that today
(Wednesday) is cold and overcast again. I have a lot of work to tackle
today which raises my stress level as well. This week; this world is a
series of ups and downs. I suppose it always has been, but this roller
coaster of a ride had been more pronounced since...when did this all begin?
The one thing that I do know
and the mantra that keeps me going is that I WILL keep going. I pray to
stay well, but if I don't I will act responsibly (as I have tried to). I
will work through it. And IF I do get sick, like so many others, I will
share my story. Because we NEED to share. Good or bad, we need to
share. As far apart as we may be, we are still all connected. Don't
forget: we are ALL connected.
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