The Pandemic Experience
It’s almost like overnight our entire world changed. We went to sleep on or around March 13th and when we awoke the next morning, we were living in a pandemic infused Shelter in Place world. So many shops and businesses were closed, we couldn’t leave the house, panic and fear had set it and yet we believed it would all be short lived. Now, five months later, some things have eased up, but there’s still a lot of restrictions, uncertainty and we may just be on the verge of an economic collapse. On that happy note, it’s important not to lose faith that things will eventually get better. Hopefully by the start of football season.
Covid-19 aka Corona (the virus not the beer) is no laughing matter, however I distinctly remember one health care professional saying, “laughter is the best medicine”. That health care professional might have been our self-medicating middle school nurse. The very fetching Miss Barr appeared to love those free samples the pharmaceutical reps would drop off on Fridays, but I digress. As with many things in life, if we didn’t laugh about our current situation we’d probably cry and that’s certainly the case with this global pandemic. There are so many things that we took for granted that we can no longer do and sometimes it seems like we couldn’t or still can’t do anything.
We couldn’t go to work – There was a time when not going into the office would have brought cheers not tears, but it’s been almost 5 months since it was “business as usual”. Several of my friends have lost jobs or their business has been completely shut down by order of the government. That’s some Hunger Games type BS. Let us get back to work. Business Lives Matter. Let the public police ourselves when it comes to what establishments we choose to visit and support and in what settings.
We couldn’t go out to dinner – I am so tired of making dinner or even ordering out for curbside pick-up. I don’t want to eat at home anymore and I wasn’t a very good cook pre-COVID. I was elated, and happy to wear my mask in and out of any given restaurant when outdoor dining went into effect. I even drove to Vacaville for a nice indoor meal one weekend. Sadly, indoor dining has since be eradicated, but don’t take away our ability to leave the house to enjoy a meal and beverage at a local restaurant or fast food eatery.
We couldn’t watch sports – We finally have major league baseball and golf to watch on TV even if we can’t attend the action in person. It will be interesting to see what the NBA tournament playoffs from Disneyworld will be like in a few weeks. I know there’s been car racing and European Soccer to keep us occupied, however, when it comes to these sports, who can really get excited about cars going around and around in circles or a game of kick the ball that ends in a 0-0 tie? I’m fearful that if college football and the NFL were to get cancelled it would lead to a severe nationwide depression or anarchy in the streets. Football is America’s sport. As American’s we can give up almost anything for the greater good of our nation, but not the cancellation of the NFL or College football season is where we draw the line.
We can’t go to the gym – Being a former “gym rat”, I miss my workouts at 24 FITNESS and I know my friends miss their calorie burner routines at Crunch, Orange Theory and Core Power Yoga. The CEO of Planet Fitness recently said, and I’m paraphrasing, not allowing people to work out is making the problem worse not better. Working out at home is difficult to say the least unless you can find an old episode of Jack Lalanne. There are so many distractions at home that prohibit a good workout such as eating, drinking and vacuuming. Does yard work constitute a workout? Does washing the car? Reading and binging Netflix is a good way to work out……our eyeballs. I’ve had a lot of friends put on a COVID 15-20 lbs. and that can’t be helping their immune system status. Granted, not to brag, but I have managed to lose weight and get in phenomenal shape during my house hiking, biking and exercising with a friend/personal trainer, but that doesn’t work for everyone.
We can’t go to the movies – I liked going to the movies, even if two tickets cost almost $50.00 (The Lot). I’ve seen a few good movies on the television (The Lovebirds, Eurovision and Palm Springs) or my computer (Adult viewing only), but it’s not the same as seeing a blockbuster release on the big screen, even if a bucket of popcorn and two sodas runs $72.50 (The Lot). I even miss that slightly inebriated guy seated in the row behind me who talks loudly throughout the entire movie (The Lot). Just kidding, I don’t miss “that guy” at all, but I do miss going to the cinema complex to enjoy a flick, even at The Lot.
We can’t go to concerts – I love attending outdoor concerts at the Concord Pavilion, Shoreline Amphitheater, Wente Vineyards and The Greek Theater and I’ve seen some great summer shows over the years. I also enjoy the free family concert series at Oakhill Park in Danville, Central Park in San Ramon. There is also the entertaining music offerings and eclectic people watching at Blackhawk Plaza and Broadway Plaza shows. What I’m saying is I really miss enjoying live music with my friends on a warm summer night.
We can’t go shopping – I personally don’t really care if I can’t go shopping, but I do know it brings a lot of people (my daughters) great enjoyment. My girls tell me there’s such a thing as retail therapy. Yes, we can go grocery shopping, but most stores within our malls, outlets and power centers are closed. This pandemic is killing a lot of family owned retail establishments. If grocery and drug stores can have customers, why can’t boutiques, clothiers and shoppes (smaller places) entertain shoppers?
We (our kids) can’t go to school or play sports – I’m no psychologist, but has anyone taken into account that our kids are probably healthy enough to withstand almost any version of the flu, but will they be mentally and emotionally healthy enough to withstand the lack of social interaction and physical conditioning that school and athletics provide them? If I had been home schooled as a child, with no sports to keep me active and occupied, I’m pretty sure my parents would have either gone crazy or I would have ended up in a juvenile detention center. I was a little hyper and easily distracted as a kid, more commonly known as ADHD today. Before we started overmedicating our children, the pediatricians prescribed getting our kids involved in school, sports, band, theater, church, dance, scouts, cheer or any extracurricular activity. Kids need to be stimulated and challenged or their minds and spirit will melt.
We can’t travel – Technically, I guess we can, but where do we go and what do we do? Other countries don’t want us ugly American’s passing on our germs and have pretty much prohibited U.S. citizens from landing anywhere abroad. Hell, other states don’t want us good looking Californians passing on our west coast germs. I might just try and sneak into Canada or Mexico just for the thrill of it. I just need to decide if I want to head north toward Vancouver or south toward Tijuana and then how to successfully cross those borders. I’m thinking roller skates.
This was originally going to be a pick-me-up article, but I may have brought myself down. I hate when I do that. Hopefully, I didn’t bring down my loyal online following (all eight of you, assuming Doris is still with us)? It would be nice to think that we might one night go to sleep and when we awoke, this craziness would all be over. Sadly, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. Until it does, let’s all try to stay positive, be kind and selfless, find joy in simple pleasures, stay in touch with the people we care about and wear our masks when required. We’ll get through this together.
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