Quarantine

Eighty days later, I am still in virtual quarantine. Concern about my own health is not the issue. I avoid exposure to the coronavirus to protect people I love.

For me, introvert that I am, the arrangement is more than comfortable. So comfortable that I have little desire to reunite with the world. Agoraphobia is a likely result of this luxurious me-time.

Avoiding physical interaction is easy, thanks to the web. Plus, local businesses carry on while minimizing risk to staff and public. Our auto mechanic has a no-contact drop-off and payment process that works perfectly. Yesterday, in his first outing, my husband said his masked barber handled him with “kid gloves” in an empty shop, plus my husband washed up when he got home. I do the grocery shopping masked, gloved, and with a follow-up cleaning ritual. If we had reliable home delivery, I would skip that interaction.

Doesn’t this all sound otherworldly? Dystopian? Science fictional?

Given humankind’s propensity for storytelling, and the distrust that pervades our culture, divisive conspiracy theories are going wild. Such speculation makes for interesting stories, though. Let’s use the material for entertainment, not to generate actual fear. Enjoy the good; overcome the bad.