Continuing tales from the Pandemic

It sure has been a long haul with this Pandemic as we enter Month 20. Things are looking up since we now have effective vaccines and we understand a lot more about Covid. But we still have a ways to go.

Each of us deals with Covid risks in our own way, ranging from “it’s all a hoax and I will go about my life as usual,” to “oh dear, I’d better not go out of my house.” Er, I err more on the conservative side and have essentially been a hermit for these past several months. But even I have loosened up.

The masks

I only wear one face mask when I do go out. Yes, it is a KN95. I don’t wear my face shield any more. It’s kind of sad/funny that no one gave me a second look when I did wear my face mask and face shield. Two years ago if I had gone out in public wearing these maske, I would be getting plenty of puzzled stares.

Expanding the bubble

I have actually expanded my social bubble. I went from having just Mr. Ken and and a few friends in my bubble to having my cousins and other friends. I still don’t see friends who don’t take Covid seriously though.

Leaving the house

I go out a bit more than just a quick trip to the grocery store every two weeks. I actually go to the store every few days now. And I am even brave enough to eat inside sometimes (as long as the restaurant isn’t too crowded.)

An outing, oh boy!

But, old habits die hard. I don’t do much else outside my house. This was brought home to me when I was talking to my friend Lisa and she mentioned that she was getting her Covid booster shot. I immediately offered to go with her, ostensibly to be there in case she had a reaction to the shot. The reality was that I am so desperate to get out of the house that I get excited to watch someone get a shot. Too sad.

Talking to strangers.

Since I don’t see or talk to many people, I find myself telling my life story to complete strangers, whether it’s the sales clerk or the customer service rep.

Enough with the hoarding!

There is one type of Trader Joe’s spaghetti sauce that Mr. Ken and I just love. But sadly, for the past two months, this has been out of stock. When I asked the store clerk about this, she shrugged and said, “blame it on Covid.” Um, I didn’t think tomatoes were prone to Covid, but maybe it’s the old “supply chain” issue. So last week, this was back in stock. So I bought 6 jars. This week I bought another two jars, because I was afraid it would go out of stock again. Sigh.

Where’s the energy?

My energy level isn’t close to what is used to be pre-Covid. I can still only do one thing a day, whether it is to go to the store, mail a letter or go to a doctor’s appointment.

How have you all been coping with the Pandemic?

Energy photo is courtesy of Mike Rohde, under Creative Commons licensing.