Distancing

It has been a strange few months. Who would ever have expected life would take this turn when the whole world is fighting a terrible, highly contagious and deadly virus. Who would have expected that schools would close, businesses would close, people would work from home where possible, and, people stay at home practicing social distancing.

Social Distancing:
Wash hands
Don't touch face
Wear a mask
Stay at least 6 feet apart
Stay home as much as possible
If sick, get tested and don't go around people

By extension, for me, this has meant ordering my groceries online and picking up at the curb. I am lucky I have multiple options for this and, for now, all are offering the service for free where they would normally charge a fee. I've become a regular customer for a local bakery that has curbside pickup just because the grocery store tends to smash the bread. I also found hardware stores that deliver to the curb, and have been able to get everything I need either there or by ordering online.

My movie/lunch group has been cancelled for months now. I stopped (for the most part) visiting grandkids, kids, and my mother. In fact, I really stopped going anywhere. During March and April, that was not so bad. I watched a lot of Netflix and Hulu and kept in touch with everyone electronically. It's something you can do for awhile. But it does wear thin after awhile.

May brought more opportunities to be outside working in the yard. But I have found it hard to really do justice there. It has taken me all month to finally hit a good pace. I have visited a couple of outdoor garden shops. I wore a mask but found many people did not. It does not make me feel confident being out and about.

Life just feels so strange, so different. No previous routine works anymore. And I haven't yet figured out a new routine. I have come to appreciate how beneficial it is to have routines.

Now states are opening up and businesses are opening up, I feel a little more need to remain sheltered. The virus is particularly deadly for people of my age and I continue to need to stay well. But we have learned more about spread of the virus and I am willing to have a little more personal interaction. I have visited my son's family and grandkids a couple of times. We stayed a good distance apart and no hugging or direct contact.

I've planned a lunch on my patio with a friend on Tuesday. We'll each bring our own lunch. I'll make sure all surfaces are cleaned and disinfected, and we'll stay well apart. Then on Saturday, I will host a birthday party on the patio with my son's family. We will follow the same rules, bringing our own food and keeping distance. But the backyard is pretty. There's lots of space and seating on the deck and patio. And being outdoors, we can still have fun without getting close.

I still have to be careful around my family because my son and daughter-in-law are both working in the office one or more days a week. I will probably start visiting my 91-year old mother again, but only outside and I'll probably even take my own chair. Some other members of my family are around her all the time and I fear she will be exposed by those who are not cognizant of the possibility they could carry infection to her.

 Before I can drive to Ogden, I need to get my snow tires switched to summer tires. But my tire shop is not Covid-friendly. Normally, I would drop off the car and either wait in the waiting room or get a courtesy ride home. Now, neither of those options is okay for me. But they will not give me a fixed appointment--I have to just come in and get in line with everyone needing tire work. I explained I'm in a high risk group and asked if they had some way to accommodate people like me. They said, no. So, I will try showing up before they open the doors and try to be first in line, and take my own chair and sit on the lawn to the side of the building.

Today, our country will probably cross the terrible threshold of 100,000 deaths from Covid-19. The pandemic is not over. But to my amazement, people all around the country are acting as if it doesn't exist anymore and ignoring social distancing rules. I understand the wish to be out doing things and living life as normal. But the virus doesn't stop infecting just because we pretend it's not there. I believe this all means I will need to continue my own distancing practice for much longer while more people become infected and until there is a vaccine.

Life is forever changed. I look forward to some kind of new normal. Meanwhile, I will tend my garden.