These are confusing times. What are you allowed to do? Where are you allowed to go? Who can you talk to, and who do you avoid? If you are in a crowded store (grocery) and someone coughs, do you hold your breath?
There is no argument that this coronavirus is horrible. People are getting very, very sick and many are dying. It is unknown why some places seem to have the virus everywhere and some can come in contact and never get sick.
When the COVID-19 order issued the end of March, essential workers only were allowed to go to work. Schools closed, retail clothing stores, restaurants, salons, so many people out of work. I was one of the essentials and I grudgingly continued working. In my mind some folks were getting vacation. I am sorry those thoughts entered my head. Apparently there is an evil in me that I am working at eradicating.
Going into work in the morning those first couple of weeks had no traffic and you prayed diligently in fear that you had missed the Rapture.
You could go to grocery stores which had you losing your religion because parking lots are full, people everywhere and they were buying everything. Initially, there was no water, no toilet paper, no cleaning products, soup was gone, frozen pizzas gone. But you went and you grabbed what you could find, and then you stood in line with everyone else breathing on each other.
You could go to the pharmacy but had to stay six feet away from the next person. You could not walk up an aisle to grab something if someone else was there. So you stood there six feet away watching as someone else grabbed every thermometer, bottle of alcohol, cleaning products and toilet paper.
Doctor visits became virtual only, and all your banking had to be done at the drive-up. You can’t go to church, and Lord knows that’s where I need to be. You can go to the liquor store but not casinos, so it turns out some addictions are healthier than others.
Camp grounds, tennis courts and parks closed so you could not go spend your off time in nature and enjoy breathing in fresh air. But you could load up in the car and sit in line at any drive-thru to load up on fast food.
You could go into a home improvement store and line up for plants, hammers and lawn care products and you could walk in any convenience store and get a Coke and crackers after you filled up your car.
You were urged to wear gloves when you filled up your car, you were urged to wear masks wherever you went. But initially you could not find any masks so everyone, including myself, jumped on the bandwagon to make masks. We went to every store looking for elastic until I realized I was going into every store.
Then you listen to some of the news and the masks are basically a placebo that everyone is wearing wrong, and no one could keep their hands off their face.
You can fly on an airplane but can you shop in the airport gift shop? Asking for a friend.
As time went by, within about two weeks of the ban, traffic got to be reminiscent of Saturday, meaning a lot of traffic. Where was everyone going? Clearly, a lot of people did not get the warning about touching the car gas pumps because they were out there driving somewhere.
Now bans are being lifted. You can drive to Texas, you can go to the hairdresser and to restaurants with restrictions. Social distancing is now a new normal, unless you are in line to pay out at one of the big box stores where apparently the virus never goes and social distancing does not apply.
I hope we have all learned something about being safe. I have learned we are all a bunch of shopaholics, and I miss hugs. I am glad those who have been out of a job are getting back to work, albeit slowly.
I am a huge advocate of buying local, eat out when you can, shop at mom and pop stores and buy your produce from local growers.
I am still confused why I can’t walk into a bank even if I agree to wear a mask and gloves. Wonder if that rule is solely based on coronavirus.