The surrealism wears off over time. For anyone with medical issues that has taken away their freedom of movement, it must seem surreal. It certainly does for me.
I was diagnosed with migraines in 2005, and over time I’ve lost ever more freedom of movement. Those constraints have grown in the past two years.
Not a Big Adjustment
At times, to me it seems like the rest of the world has caught up with where I’ve been for the past 18 months.
Most of the time I can only run errands around town. I combine several stops in one trip so I can stay home the next day and recover. When I drive to the Sacramento area, I have to stay home the day before and after my trip.
Other daily practices For example, since I help my mother with her home-based infant and toddler daycare business, I wash my hands constantly. My doctor thinks my exposure to daycare kids and all their bugs has given me a robust immune system.
But I harbor no illusions: If I contract COVID-19, my life will be at serious risk.
There are a few differences. I can’t eat in the dining area of a restaurant with my mother. I can’t travel to the Sacramento area to have lunch with friends.
And here’s how you know the situation is for real: Starbucks closed down their cafés for at least two weeks. (At least there’s still drive-thru and delivery services.)
Oh, and toilet paper isn’t on store shelves because of hoarding to the point of criminality.
You Have the Power to Choose
The world hasn’t experienced a pandemic since the “Spanish flu” of 1918-19. As Captain Spock said in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, history is replete with turning points. This turning point will change the world permanently.
But how does it feel when the surrealism wears off personally?
From experience, you’re left with a choice. You can shine or you can wait to die.
Choose the former? Here’s a good way to help.