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Freedom Begins with the First Step
Has anyone had hesitation about going outside during this lockdown? Do you feel as if you are starting an uncertain journey each time, with unclear risks and uncertain potential outcomes?
Do you feel crazy or foolish for feeling that way?
Well, we are about to venture out, my husband and I. Some of you know that we’re in the high-risk category (over 70) and my husband has a lung condition. He isn’t afraid, but he also doesn’t want to do “something stupid.” Six weeks ago, I started grocery shopping on my own, which was no big deal. (We enjoyed doing it together on the weekend.) But then about four weeks ago, we decided to have our groceries delivered; we rationalized that, on balance, it worked pretty well with easy, short-term delivery dates. That we occasionally received the wrong product or didn’t get what we wanted could be explained away. Besides, it was the safest way to go.
My husband told me a few days ago that he thought we could begin our own shopping on May 1. I said I’d be glad to shop on my own, but he wanted us to go together; I liked the idea. This morning I mentioned that others might use May 1 as a kick-off date and the stores might be more crowded. Besides, since we were sneaking out, it didn’t matter when we went, and when he took a moment to think about it, he agreed. So we’ll grocery shop together, probably Tuesday morning, armed with our hand sanitizer and masks.
We are both tired of all the confusion about lockdowns, wondering how helpful they are, and being labeled indefinitely the most vulnerable. We are strong, independent people and never like being told what to do, even when it’s good for us. We prefer to say “no” when strangers request many things, unless you have the stamina to tell us why we should go along. So acquiescing to the government is not only annoying but, in some ways, it eats at our hearts and souls.
Are we being foolish to go out, or resolute in our commitment to take care of ourselves and exercise our rights? At this point, I don’t think it matters. It is time to appreciate that the government is trying to help and venture out resolutely on our own spiritual and daily path.
Freedom begins with the first step.
Published in Culture
Well, I’m shrinking, too; I may have limited it some taking calcium and Vitamin D. I sure wish there were a way to inject some of her genes in me–ooh, that might be dangerous! 😉
Ahhh…. so sweet and loving. They must really love you a lot, @juliana!
Well, of course. It is so much less crowded when it’s closed.
Some of them are malicious.
I just don’t trust any of them! Trump, Biden, the governors, the media and especially the Chinese government! I think there is a toxic combination of very little data and actual facts mixed with a boatload of propaganda and a lot of needing to look like they are doing something. I still wonder if I had the damn virus back in January and wonder if we were walking around with the virus for 2 months not knowing. I am terrified that many businesses will not come back, that there will be shortages of essentials for a long time. That the Chinese or some other bad actors will hit us again, on purpose or not on purpose. That life will never be the same again.
I have a beach house booked for the first week of September. I hope I get to go.
There are tennis courts behind our town hall, open to the public. Been there for years. I went by there today and they removed the nets – actually dug them out and paved over where they had been. I can’t imagine any other reason for doing this other than making sure no one can use them. for Heaven’s sake, what sport has better distancing than tennis??
Try June 10th.
The problem with these governors is they didn’t get themselves some tinhorn dictator hats and sunglasses to wear when they issue lockdown orders. If they wore the hats, at least, people would respect their decisions. For example, look at the respect given to these used by the Belarus military:
Risk-taker here. I go to work in my factory at 0600 every day, get temp checked on the way in and go around doing what I need to do. I go shopping when and where I want (grocery store, Costco, Fred Meyer). Exercise is mostly on my home rowing machine. I have never worn a mask at home or at work, and when I was on my way back to my desk from the Shipping department I stopped to visit my favorite planner who gave me a hug. I am not afraid of the big bad virus even though I am in a high-risk age group (71). Ray disinfects the mail when I bring it in from the mailbox.
I went downtown again today to take pictures for a story I’m doing for the newspaper. What was fraught with strange electrical peril three weeks ago now seems almost normal, inasmuch as I don’t feel as if I am putting myself in mortal peril. Three weeks ago the grocery store felt like spelunking in Chernobyl, to repeat my previous description; now it’s rote. I’m still masked and I handled everything with tissues and sanitize when I get back to the car, but it feels like performing ablution rituals for a religion to which I no longer feel any particular devotion.
The more you go out, the less you fear. The less you fear, the more you want to go out. The more you want to go out, the more you chafe. The more you chafe, the less authority you grant the state. The less authority the state feels it is granted, the more authority it gathers and asserts.
Susan, my mother is 87 (so high risk) and lives with me here, in the middle of Sydney. Every afternoon we go for a walk in a nearby park, so far without masks or gloves. Because keeping someone in prison in order to keep them alive is not always doing them a favour, and going out and feeling the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair is a balm for the soul. Australia has quite a low (inferred) infection rate, which is part of our assessment, which may change. May you and your husband walk in good health – but don’t be doctrinaire about it if the situation changes.
The set up here is that regular exercise is fine, along with social distancing, but if you just hang out the police will ‘move you on’ – which is a very odd feeling.
Mrs. Tabby and I (aged 63 and 64) have no hesitations about going outside. If one of our favorite restaurants opened today, we’d go tonight, and without regard to table spacing.
The Wuhan virus has serious effect on only a small percentage of the people who come into contact with it. And the more data we get, we are discovering that percentage is even smaller than we previously thought. We are in generally good health, and so we calculate our risk of serious consequences to be very small. (We are extremely annoyed with media and politicians – see Cuomo, Andrew – who convey the false impression that any contact with the virus is almost certain death.)
We are all going to come into contact with the Wuhan virus eventually. It’s beginning to appear that more of us have already come into contact with the virus than previously thought. All the masking and distancing is just delaying the inevitable. It will be great if a vaccine is developed, but we have no assurance that will happen.
As a practical matter, we live in a smallish town in which nothing is ever crowded, and other than reading on our front porch, most of my outside going is for bicycle rides at 5:00 am.
I am eagerly looking forward to going physically to the church sanctuary tomorrow (Sunday) to join the choir director, her daughter, and one other person to lead hymn singing for the live-streamed worship service. Finally, a chance to go out and do something useful for others.
I’m out working (property mgmt – they are empty) and have gloves. I use gloves to get gas, and add a mask to go to UPS or grocery store. Our grocery stores this past week now have all store employees wearing both, and there are marked boundaries in check out isles. This is all new. Patrons are wearing protection too. The tiny health food store has a table outside with a covered worker allowing one or two people at a time inside, covered. I had not been back in weeks and this was new. The guy that showed up at the same time as me had no protection and was asked to wait outside. I’m not sure if he was allowed in. I also picked up takeout and met my friend for lunch! We sat a safe distance apart on her front porch. People were walking and riding bikes. We had a great time! I was petrified the first time I went to the store but it was fine. I will say the UPS store employees are not wearing masks! They should be. Is that an actual picture Susan? The beach looks beautiful.
My husband has been eating at Chic Filet and Chipolte on the road, and has to eat in his car. Everywhere he tried to sit like an outdoor mall, they spotted him (no one else around) and took up the benches! He keeps dumping sauce on his clothes. He decided to sit at a cafe table at one of 18 back porches of beach cottages (all empty) and the one he sat at to wolf down a salad, the owner drove up! Murphy’s Law again….she said you’re fine…..don’t worry about it.
Chic Filet would be a good name for a trendy new French restaurant.
Sorry, had to do it!
This is a very inspiring story. I have three yards of mulch to spread today, and I’ll be chuckling at your mom’s 15 bags of mulch as I work. Thank you. :-)
Leave the Mulch Spreading to the Journalists and Politicians! You are infringing on their territory.
We are both high risk – over 70 and with medical issues – but I refuse to be worried. My husband thinks of something he needs at the store at least 3 or 4 times a week. He does wear a mask. When I do venture out I don’t wear mask or gloves. I’ve never used hand sanitizer in my life and I’m not going to start now. I don’t wipe down any groceries that come to the house, either purchased in person or delivered. I’m extremely annoyed that the nail salons are closed. We don’t eat out a lot but I am missing going out occasionally. In the last month we’ve ordered pizza once and got takeout from KFC.
I am just extremely distressed about all the small businesses and people out of work. I say open everything back up.
I am beginning to have the same problem. We went to my medical school 50th reunion in 2016 and there was talk of another one but nobody seems interested now. I’m afraid to call a couple of friends who are older (I’m 82) for fear of finding they are gone. One friend called me several years ago and said we would get together after the 4th of July. I called him and his wife answered and would not let me talk to him. I assume dementia. He was Nixon’s physician in San Clemente. We moved to Arizona 3 years ago and now can’t visit the grandkids. We had been driving over every three months or so.
Our lives haven’t changed much. I still hate to go to the grocery store, so wait for JY or Son #2 to make the journey in desperation. Both have cloth masks that they wear when it’s required.
JY has made several trips to Home Depot as we work on some home projects; even in the face of corona-death he can’t manage to remember everything he needs. Or something needs to be returned …
My boss has taken to working at home in the am and going into the office in the afternoon and I meet him there a couple of times a week. Most of our clients are senior citizens and their docs now need to be signed via Docusign. Which means they come into the office and I hover over their shoulder (masked) while they mutter in frustration.
We still see my daughter and her family often although we tend to guiltily scurry across front lawns and enter houses as quickly as possible. There’s rumors our police are using drones to spot backyard gatherings, son #2 is ammoed up in the hopes that it’s true.
Mulch and fertilizer are not always the same thing. Some mulch eventually fertilizes the soil. But some does the opposite, at least in the short term. I put grass mulch on my garden because it adds nitrogen. Other mulch, such as dead dried leaves from which the nutrients have been leached out requires nitrogen in order to decompose. We no longer have animals or politicians in our barn who provide fertilizer for the garden.
The very best to you and your mother, @zafar. You’re a good man.
I’m so sorry, @michaelkennedy. So much sadness and loss.
One of our neighbors let out on the ‘hood FB page that they leave their groceries in the car trunk for 48 hours, and put perishables in the garage fridge for the same 48 hours, before bringing them in the house.
Ay-yi-yi-yi
Okay, so, soaking them in ethyl alcohol for 72 hours isn’t the preferred protocol?
That picture looks very familiar – I took this one when I was in Sydney in 1990. That sure looks like the same fountain/statue at the end of the walk:
No, you are not foolish to go out. In fact, it’s foolish not to.
If it’s sunny, you get vitamin D.
Risk of any viral transmission is lower outdoors than indoors especially if it’s sunny warm humid.
You should order a home test kit from LabCorp. 119 bucks.
We took a brief walk this morning and it was partly sunny, so we still got our Vit. D. I hope to make this a regular part of our day until the gym opens. Thanks for the support.
Yes, that’s Hyde Park. Though I am a bit envious as your photograph is nicer.