Another day, and I'm sitting outside again. We're still under "social separation," so I'm about 20 feet from the street. And I've lost the sun that was warming my body and washing out my tablet's screen. And the wind has resumed, bringing a wind chill that is about to drive me to grabbing my hoodie, if not actually to go inside!
Yesteday, I noted that "Spring's Sprung," but in this part of the world, spring is a tempermental lady. The forecast for tonight is rain, and in a few days there's snow expected within a few hundred miles of here. We joke that northeastern Pennsylvania can have all four seasons within a week, if not even inside a single day!
Living under rules of isolation isn't all that much fun, is it? Actually, I am wondering when I should head to the post office to check my mail. Can I wait a few more days? What if there's something urgent awaiting my attention, but by staying home I'm missing a fast narrowing window of opportunity? And I'm looking at my groceries, and realizing that it won't be too long until I need to get milk, at least, and maybe two gallons, and a few cans of fruit, and maybe more frozen vegtables. And surely it won't be too long until the pharmacy tells me I have something ready for pickup.
I am slow to adopt new technology in some ways. Sure, the guy who ran a "pirate" radio station from his dorm room, is nervous about shopping Walmart online and doing curbside pickup? Yeah, that's me. And the pharmacy will probably deliver, if I can figure out the payment system.
I thought I had rubber-type gloves on hand, like one might use for cleaning the oven. Not where I thought they were! Did I give them to my daughter last year? Or do I need to search another location or two?
What about masks? What do I have that I can fold in layers, lacking any bandana? I think I can find hair elastics, which I bought for a different purpose several years ago (think how some microphones are mounted to isolate them from the mic stand). But even with gloves and a makeshift mask, is it safe for me to venture out of my driveway?
I actually don't feel all that worried, but I'm being careful. We have to think about these things, because there's such a big delay between infection and symptoms. And even worse, a good number of us will never get sick, but instead will be asymptomatic carriers. And it's those who think they can go party (a recent raid of about 100 teenagers in the woods, underage drinking!) who are the most likely to bring home the virus, most likely to transmit it, to their elderly aunt, their immune-compromised neighbor, their high-risk brother or parent or cousin or friend.
So as the clouds overhead thicken ahead of tonight's rain, I'm about to pack up and go back inside. Not because I'm afraid, but because I'm fairly reasonable. With sun hidden by the clouds, it's not enjoyable sitting outside. And yet I've lingered, because as spring has sprung, it's also tempermental, and it might be days again until I can enjoy my relative freedom in my own driveway.
Be safe, my friends! God set the universe in motion, "his eye is on the sparrow," he gave the lillies their glory and cares about us, too. But He loves us too much to compel our obedience. And sometimes we have to choose whether to obey the very leaders whom, at least conceptually, he placed over us. Will you be safe? Will you maintain social separation outside your household? Will you disinfect and wear masks and gloves where appropriate?
I'm trying! I'm not technically "high risk," but I have an elevated risk, as my age and medical concerns suggest, and I don't want to end up in the hospital at a time when my city, a hotbed of viral infections, is not even near its peak along the bell curve of contagion.
Give me your thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment