[OutsiderFan]

Ever since March shutdowns started, my behavior has been all about avoiding infection and not putting others at risk. To wit, I have:

- Not gone anywhere inside without a mask
- Not gone to any non-essential store
- Not eaten anywhere but my house (Takeout only; not even outdoor seating anywhere)
- Not been on a plane or stayed overnight in hotel, nor has my SO
- Not been to my gym
- Not gone to any social gathering with people I don’t know
- Done all meetings by video, including one Dr. appointment
- Avoided dentist or other medical office
- I’ve cut my own hair and not once gone to a barber

All that started to change and will continue over the next couple weeks. Last week I went to the gym for the first time, something I plan to do this week as well. My SO is going to an event and will be traveling to South Carolina next week. And then I have to go to CA to visit my apparently dying from cancer father.

All this is to say that for those who say “we can’t live in a cave forever,” they are correct. But there is no reason we have to do anything to take risks that really aren’t necessary or that we can’t take precautions when we have to interact with others for reasons that supersede being in that cave so to speak.

I haven’t been in a bubble, but pretty damn close. Soon I’m going to go out of it and my health as well as those I come in contact with are going to be dependent on the responsibility others have taken in their lives. I’m going to be in the house with my 80 year old parents. I’m losing one to cancer and I don’t want to lose the other otherwise younger and healthy one at the same time as well. Neither do her granddaughters. 

I wouldn’t say I’m scared, but am certainly well aware of the elevated risks I am about to expose myself to soon. It makes all the anti-mask assholes and virus isn’t real deniers not just people I can dismiss as stupid and not impacting my life much, to taking on a much more consequential presence in my life. I’m very nervous, especially given I can see signs the case numbers are once again starting to grow when I am about to subject myself to the wild again. Even if I make it safe to CA, I will still have to make it back safe to CT at a later date. And if I don’t, I put my SO at risk. Or she could get infected on her trip to and from South Carolina.

[OutsiderFan]

Ever since March shutdowns started, my behavior has been all about avoiding infection and not putting others at risk. To wit, I have:

- Not gone anywhere inside without a mask
- Not gone to any non-essential store
- Not eaten anywhere but my house (Takeout only; not even outdoor seating anywhere)
- Not been on a plane or stayed overnight in hotel, nor has my SO
- Not been to my gym
- Not gone to any social gathering with people I don’t know
- Done all meetings by video, including one Dr. appointment
- Avoided dentist or other medical office
- I’ve cut my own hair and not once gone to a barber

All that started to change and will continue over the next couple weeks. Last week I went to the gym for the first time, something I plan to do this week as well. My SO is going to an event and will be traveling to South Carolina next week. And then I have to go to CA to visit my apparently dying from cancer father.

All this is to say that for those who say “we can’t live in a cave forever,” they are correct. But there is no reason we have to do anything to take risks that really aren’t necessary or that we can’t take precautions when we have to interact with others for reasons that supersede being in that cave so to speak.

I haven’t been in a bubble, but pretty damn close. Soon I’m going to go out of it and my health as well as those I come in contact with are going to be dependent on the responsibility others have taken in their lives. I’m going to be in the house with my 80 year old parents. I’m losing one to cancer and I don’t want to lose the other otherwise younger and healthy one at the same time as well. Neither do her granddaughters. 

I wouldn’t say I’m scared, but am certainly well aware of the elevated risks I am about to expose myself to soon. It makes all the anti-mask assholes and virus isn’t real deniers not just people I can dismiss as stupid and not impacting my life much, to taking on a much more consequential presence in my life. I’m very nervous, especially given I can see signs the case numbers are once again starting to grow when I am about to subject myself to the wild again. Even if I make it safe to CA, I will still have to make it back safe to CT at a later date. And if I don’t, I put my SO at risk. Or she could get infected on her trip to and from South Carolina.

[oregontim]

All this is to say that for those who say “we can’t live in a cave forever,” they are correct. But there is no reason we have to do anything to take risks that really aren’t necessary or that we can’t take precautions when we have to interact with others for reasons that supersede being in that cave so to speak.

I haven’t been in a bubble, but pretty damn close. Soon I’m going to go out of it and my health as well as those I come in contact with are going to be dependent on the responsibility others have taken in their lives. I’m going to be in the house with my 80 year old parents. I’m losing one to cancer and I don’t want to lose the other otherwise younger and healthy one at the same time as well. Neither do her granddaughters. 

... I’m very nervous, especially given I can see signs the case numbers are once again starting to grow when I am about to subject myself to the wild again. Even if I make it safe to CA, I will still have to make it back safe to CT at a later date. And if I don’t, I put my SO at risk. Or she could get infected on her trip to and from South Carolina.

Damn, sorry, I know how that feels. My wife and I have been strict, but we've started to ease up a bit for important family reasons. For example, our youngest daughter's first baby, born a month ago. We visited. Some walks with another daughter and her son, with them being carefully sheltered too. We're trying to allow ourselves some careful exceptions and to not make it binary, as either sheltered or not. We're accepting maybe "mostly sheltered" with some carefully chosen exceptions.

We're in early 70s, BTW, because that's relevant to this discussion.

[oregontim]

All this is to say that for those who say “we can’t live in a cave forever,” they are correct. But there is no reason we have to do anything to take risks that really aren’t necessary or that we can’t take precautions when we have to interact with others for reasons that supersede being in that cave so to speak.

I haven’t been in a bubble, but pretty damn close. Soon I’m going to go out of it and my health as well as those I come in contact with are going to be dependent on the responsibility others have taken in their lives. I’m going to be in the house with my 80 year old parents. I’m losing one to cancer and I don’t want to lose the other otherwise younger and healthy one at the same time as well. Neither do her granddaughters. 

... I’m very nervous, especially given I can see signs the case numbers are once again starting to grow when I am about to subject myself to the wild again. Even if I make it safe to CA, I will still have to make it back safe to CT at a later date. And if I don’t, I put my SO at risk. Or she could get infected on her trip to and from South Carolina.

Damn, sorry, I know how that feels. My wife and I have been strict, but we've started to ease up a bit for important family reasons. For example, our youngest daughter's first baby, born a month ago. We visited. Some walks with another daughter and her son, with them being carefully sheltered too. We're trying to allow ourselves some careful exceptions and to not make it binary, as either sheltered or not. We're accepting maybe "mostly sheltered" with some carefully chosen exceptions.

We're in early 70s, BTW, because that's relevant to this discussion.