The Bandaid
It feels to me as if many of us are experiencing what I've heard called quarantine fatigue. The novelty aspect imposed upon us by this novel COVID-19 has nearly, if not already completely, worn thin. The social messages of hope, endurance, persistence, you can do it now seem so much like the way Charlie Brown's teacher's voice is portrayed on TV: Wah, wah, wah.
Enough, already. Enough.
Stay At Home has been replaced by Stay Safe. Each state has its own interpretation of how Stay Safe is meant to be understood and even then, individuals demonstrate a dazzling array of behaviors within guidelines. What has been proven to be true to stop the spread of the virus, to flatten the curve, seems to be: 1) Stay Home. 2) And if you do go out, Social Distance and Wear a Mask. Then comes along: you can start forgetting about 1.
So, is it that for the past however many days, Stay At Home has served as a bandaid on the deadly scourge of COVID-19? And now, that the however many days have passed and in each day's wake, the economy has increasingly tanked, leaving governors with no choice other than to say, time to take the bandaid off? (Not to mention everyone's mental health, virtual learning, working at home, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera)
And how do we do that, because there are at least a couple different ways to remove a bandaid. Do we just grab the edge of the adhesive, hold our collective breath, and give it a good yank? Does the scab remain to protect the wound or does it rip off, leaving a bloody mess in its wake? Or do we gingerly ease a fingernail under the adhesive and start easing it away from the skin, feeling the sting of tiny body hairs with each upward movement? When we reach the scab, if its not healed, do we quickly smooth the adhesive back down and hope we have more bandaids in the box in case it doesn't adhere to the skin again? Do we say, screw it, and pull the bandaid off anyway? Does it really make a difference because the scab, AKA Covid-19, is really still there even if we have politicians who are saying it's not?
Virtually everyone I know is struggling with how to deal with their own personal bandaids. And what I hear them say, and I do know this much is true, is there is no right way or no wrong way. When there is no right and wrong, it makes deciding if or how or when to remove the bandaid neigh on impossible. We--some of us--stand six feet apart and ask, "What are you doing?" and we all understand the frightening depth of emotion surrounding the struggle to justify whatever answer we give, responses that change by the microsecond.
When I posted sunset videos the last few weeks we were in Florida, I would say, "I hope you have had the best possible day you could have." As you struggle with deciding if, how, when you're going to remove your bandaid, be gentle with yourself. You are making the best possible decision you can make at this moment in time. So are all your friends and family and all the people we don't know.
Enough, already. Enough.
Stay At Home has been replaced by Stay Safe. Each state has its own interpretation of how Stay Safe is meant to be understood and even then, individuals demonstrate a dazzling array of behaviors within guidelines. What has been proven to be true to stop the spread of the virus, to flatten the curve, seems to be: 1) Stay Home. 2) And if you do go out, Social Distance and Wear a Mask. Then comes along: you can start forgetting about 1.
So, is it that for the past however many days, Stay At Home has served as a bandaid on the deadly scourge of COVID-19? And now, that the however many days have passed and in each day's wake, the economy has increasingly tanked, leaving governors with no choice other than to say, time to take the bandaid off? (Not to mention everyone's mental health, virtual learning, working at home, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera)
And how do we do that, because there are at least a couple different ways to remove a bandaid. Do we just grab the edge of the adhesive, hold our collective breath, and give it a good yank? Does the scab remain to protect the wound or does it rip off, leaving a bloody mess in its wake? Or do we gingerly ease a fingernail under the adhesive and start easing it away from the skin, feeling the sting of tiny body hairs with each upward movement? When we reach the scab, if its not healed, do we quickly smooth the adhesive back down and hope we have more bandaids in the box in case it doesn't adhere to the skin again? Do we say, screw it, and pull the bandaid off anyway? Does it really make a difference because the scab, AKA Covid-19, is really still there even if we have politicians who are saying it's not?
Virtually everyone I know is struggling with how to deal with their own personal bandaids. And what I hear them say, and I do know this much is true, is there is no right way or no wrong way. When there is no right and wrong, it makes deciding if or how or when to remove the bandaid neigh on impossible. We--some of us--stand six feet apart and ask, "What are you doing?" and we all understand the frightening depth of emotion surrounding the struggle to justify whatever answer we give, responses that change by the microsecond.
When I posted sunset videos the last few weeks we were in Florida, I would say, "I hope you have had the best possible day you could have." As you struggle with deciding if, how, when you're going to remove your bandaid, be gentle with yourself. You are making the best possible decision you can make at this moment in time. So are all your friends and family and all the people we don't know.
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