The spring of 2020 is a bit of a blur to me. I was distracted during the early months of the pandemic — because my father passed away. Not of COVID, mind you. Dad had multiple myeloma. But losing him still hurt like hell. He was my hero, the parent I related to most.
Anyway, one thing I do remember clearly about that time is a tweet that got turned into a meme and went viral that perfectly encapsulated my feelings about lockdown: “I’m a homebody but DAMN I did like going one or two places LMAO.”
I didn’t go anywhere at all non-essential in 2020. Hell, I barely went anywhere essentially. The grocery delivery ecosystem is strong in my city, so with a little planning, I was able to get groceries delivered smoothly. I ventured out of my home very rarely — for example, when my doctor’s office required me to come in and get bloodwork before they’d refill my migraine meds (basically holding my prescriptions hostage).
Prior to COVID hitting, I had a community workshop I went to where I was studying ceramics. Pre-COVID I basically went there and grocery shopping. Occasionally out to eat — but usually only on very special occasions (I’m a cheapskate and pretty much always on a diet). I basically went one or two places.
Lockdown life had the community workshop closed down for a while — but offering classes after a while (with a strict mask enforcement policy). But I stayed away. I made pieces at home, and my partner ran them to the community kiln for me.
And I did takeout/delivery whenever I got restaurant food. Still not a ton, mind you. (I’m still a cheapskate who is pretty much always on a diet.)
And Then I Was Vaccinated #
And then I finally got vaccinated. As I mentioned in a previous post, the first thing I did when I developed my antibodies was catch up on overdue adulting — for example, I went to the dentist and got a cleaning. There was a long list of that, of things that were overdue that I’d put off.
Once that was all caught up, I started a new chapter: I started to go one or two places. Yes, some of them are indoor places. Always masked of course. I went to a nursery and bought some indoor plants (all cat safe/non-toxic species because I have one cat that will eat anything).
And then I went back to the community workshop, said hello to my friends. I’m working on making some new ceramic pots for my plants, so they’ll have more room to spread out roots as they grow bigger — and look cute while doing so.
It’s True. I Love Going One or Two Places. #
Maybe it’s not a lot. But to me, it’s huge. I’m going one or two places again. And feeling safe and confident while doing so, like I’m not doing something reckless or selfish that puts me or anyone I love at appreciably increased risk.
I’m still very cautious. Still wear a mask when indoors around strangers. And I don’t eat or drink inside around other people (it’s just not worth the risk to me, when carryout/delivery are so easy). I could probably do a small dinner party at a friend’s place with all-vaccinated people, but I haven’t had that scenario arise yet. Especially since risk is additive — and I’m budgeting my personal risk to be used elsewhere (I told you, I’m a cheapskate).
But I feel amazing. I love going one or two places again. It feels better than the new normal everyone warned me about. It feels familiar and comfortable, like slipping into old clothes that have gotten used to my body and fit me perfectly.