Tiresome... But Necessary
I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know when I say how tiresome it is to wait out a pandemic. Ugh! But here we are, coming up on a year since what was happening hit our radars.
It was March 4-6, 2020, when I was last in the clutches of the aviation system. I went to Florida for EMS Today, an annual international event I’d often attended since the 1980s. It was the first time I carried antibacterial wipes and used them on my seatbelt, tray, and armrests. I remember sitting apart from others at the Atlanta airport during my layover, and feeling a little silly for it. At the conference, there were hugs and handshakes, and lots of, “you don’t think this COVID-19 thing is a...thing—do you?”
We were all soon to know that, yes, it was a thing. And it will continue to be a thing for awhile. I still don’t have any upcoming flight reservations, and probably won’t for some time. I have an abundant stash of face masks in the front hall, in the car, in coat pockets. Who knew masks would become a fashion statement? I have lots of “no-drive” days, because there’s nowhere to go.
A lot of those “cool, now I have time to do that project!” projects are now done. My firewood piles have never been so topped off. I’ve caught up with a lot of lingering half-done intentions. The piles in my office are dwindling.
Most days, the reason for all this continues to hover, but it doesn’t feel terribly personally threatening. I am privileged to live in a quiet, rural place with lots of fresh air. Few people come and go in my world. I’ve gotten my “Fouci ouchies.” Yet I continue to keep my distance. And now that mutant versions of this bug are invading, I’ve begun wearing double masks. Sigh.
One year into this global nightmare, everyone is feeling the impact of all the many ways our lives have been disrupted. Of course. Though I know I’m lucky to feel only a little bothered, it takes just a small shift in focus to remember that millions have had to deal directly with COVID-19, and continue to feel lousy from its ravages. And so many are so awfully dead. I’m well aware of how good I have it.
So, and yet, I say, “Ugh!” In one year, something invisible without magnification has gripped the entire world in its clutches. Not a person on the planet hasn’t been touched, and will continue to be touched, by this microscopic enemy. Crazy.
I guess the best we can do, collectively, is pull together. The same procedures of wearing masks, keeping apart, and hand washing that were touted in the pandemic of 1918-1920 still apply. With the advent of vaccines, I hope enough people will get them. Don’t they understand the broad implications of individual action on our collective chances for making timely headway towards the end? It’s all so, so tiresome. Working together is so, so needed. Don’t let up now! There is a finish line, and someday we’ll cross it together. We can do this. Surely we can.
