It is Day 60 of practicing isolation, of physical distancing, of being very selective about the places and times I go out.
Do I still go out? Yup.
Do I go to the corner store? Nope.
I saw an infographic about disease spread at the very beginning of the pandemic, which basically said if you reduced the amount you went out of the house, then you reduced your impact on society and reduced rate of infection. Of course, looking for the infographic now, 2 months later, was hysterically almost impossible. Try it, Google : reduce infection infographic. Click on images. Wow. Wow. People made a ton of money designing these. I did find the one I was looking for on this site.
It was simple and impactful and I have basically tried to live by this principle.
In Oaxaca, and in Mexico, we are about a month behind our northern neighbours. As the US and some parts of Canada begin to talk about opening shops and restaurants, all I feel as fear.
Years ago when I was working in International HR, I was working with an office in a country where there had been a series of car bombs outside of cafes, killing many innocent people. I was on a call with a woman who I knew well enough to ask, "How do you go about life, after...?" I grew up in Canada. I am 45 years old. I have traveled, sure, but the idea of going to get ice cream and being blown to bits was a little foreign. She considered my question and gave me an answer I will never forget. She said in the first few days, you are afraid and don't leave the house. But then you need things, and so you go out quickly, looking over your shoulder and rushing to get back inside your home. And then after a little while when nothing new has happened, you start to feel normal again.
During the pandemic I have always gone out. I walk every morning with the dogs and then in the day I take them out into our alley. We go to a grocery store once per week and the market once every three or four days. The corner store not in 6 weeks, it is too small, no face masks. The dog refuge once or twice per week.
So, as I listen to friends talk about how we are all grappling with our new reality, I am concerned. There is a good chance so many of us will get this disease. I am not running out to lick a handrail and I am not quite ready to go dancing with a crowd of people. But in a few more weeks, I think I might be ready for a glass of wine at the local. With or without a pool noodle.
Do I still go out? Yup.
Do I go to the corner store? Nope.
I saw an infographic about disease spread at the very beginning of the pandemic, which basically said if you reduced the amount you went out of the house, then you reduced your impact on society and reduced rate of infection. Of course, looking for the infographic now, 2 months later, was hysterically almost impossible. Try it, Google : reduce infection infographic. Click on images. Wow. Wow. People made a ton of money designing these. I did find the one I was looking for on this site.
It was simple and impactful and I have basically tried to live by this principle.
In Oaxaca, and in Mexico, we are about a month behind our northern neighbours. As the US and some parts of Canada begin to talk about opening shops and restaurants, all I feel as fear.
Years ago when I was working in International HR, I was working with an office in a country where there had been a series of car bombs outside of cafes, killing many innocent people. I was on a call with a woman who I knew well enough to ask, "How do you go about life, after...?" I grew up in Canada. I am 45 years old. I have traveled, sure, but the idea of going to get ice cream and being blown to bits was a little foreign. She considered my question and gave me an answer I will never forget. She said in the first few days, you are afraid and don't leave the house. But then you need things, and so you go out quickly, looking over your shoulder and rushing to get back inside your home. And then after a little while when nothing new has happened, you start to feel normal again.
During the pandemic I have always gone out. I walk every morning with the dogs and then in the day I take them out into our alley. We go to a grocery store once per week and the market once every three or four days. The corner store not in 6 weeks, it is too small, no face masks. The dog refuge once or twice per week.
So, as I listen to friends talk about how we are all grappling with our new reality, I am concerned. There is a good chance so many of us will get this disease. I am not running out to lick a handrail and I am not quite ready to go dancing with a crowd of people. But in a few more weeks, I think I might be ready for a glass of wine at the local. With or without a pool noodle.
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