Member-only story
Going Out After A Year
I confess, going out for a simple cup of coffee is still anxiety-inducing. Yes. I am fully vaccinated by any standard of public health. I can remove my mask while at the table and breathe air in, and enjoy the heat, the birds, and the quiet. We went to the farmer’s market over the course of the year. And I did limited trips to the supermarket to the absolute I can’t avoid it. With planning, I could pick it up at the parking lot, and I did more than a few times.
Yet, going out for a simple cup of coffee is still stressful, because I know there is still the COVID virus out there. I also know there are people who never took this seriously. Some of them will refuse the vaccine for a shifting variety of reasons. However, my local school district is already requiring it for youth who are part of school sports. As the vaccine is approved for younger and younger sets, this will expand. As soon as it moves from emergency use to full authorization, more people will also take it. Some have their doubts because they still believe it’s experimental. The final authorization will remove some doubts.
I went out today. Yes, my goal was to pick up the laundry and have a cup of coffee. The former was not ready, now I know that if they say Wednesday, they mean Thursday, but I still got my decaf. I sat at a table by myself, got out my new wireless keyboard and my headphones…and did something I have…