I am awake, I am alive, and as news of the 50-something female hospitalized here in the city with the virus sets in, I cannot help thinking … Welcome to the New World.
Decisions, decisions as I decide what works for me and what doesn’t. I know there is a good chance at some point I will get this. That is the reality for all of us but I must do my best to ensure I don’t.
So I think twice about public places – handrailings at lookout sites that once represented safety now make me wonder how many people have touched them before me. In this new world, I now love automatic doors that open without requiring us to touch them and interac machines that do not require pushing any buttons. But just in case, I have hand sanitizer in my car and wipes in my purse.
In this new world, I think twice about small group gatherings – socially distant, outside? That I can handle. Car coffee dates (you in yours, me in mine, parked close enough to chat) – yes, I enjoy those.
But so many things I wouldn’t, like meals outside on patios not big enough to provide a safe social distancing option. Or getting my nails done (Gawd I miss my nails!) without a plexiglass partition between me and my tech (the kind with the opening for hands) and only the two of us in her tiny shop at any given time.
Hair salons? That decision is month’s away thanks to demand so no thought given there. As options arise, rules are designed. If nothing else, I think that is what defines my new world – a world that requires constant and never-ending CONSCIOUS thought as to what I will do, where I will do it, and most of all, what I will touch.
Gone are the days of auto-pilot (although personally, I abandoned those years ago). Now we must think or pay the price. The choice remains ours, even in this new world.
So on this day, I pray you remain CONSCIOUS my friend. I pray you remain safe and strong, that you think of what you touch when outside your home, and that you too wash your hands and/or use sanitizer often.
We can get through this. It will simply take … conscious thought and decisions. But then, a good life always has.
I love you! HUGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Sandi
