Recently, my daughter wondered whether she would be psychologically damaged from all this Covid stuff, and then we both kind of laughed. I said we probably would all need ECT but that mine was wine.
And then I paused. A sequela is a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury. The aftermath. The effect.
Much earlier this year, I said with bravado... I’m going to wash my hands like this forever. Because, you know, there’s more nasties out there than Covid and I might as well kill them too. But, today I was considering a quick visit to a children’s store with Ben, to shop for his baby sister who should be here within a few weeks. I thought it would be fun and so, so special. Vancouver Island has had no Covid cases in almost two weeks. In fact, in the entire health zone, only 5 are active and out of those, only one is in the hospital and not even in ICU. And that should give one a good bit of comfort and a tiche of confidence. But it doesn’t, not psychologically. Not anymore. And I paused to think about that. There are 870,000 people on this Island of ours. Last year, if you told me that six of them had the ‘flu and I needed to be careful, I would have laughed in your face. But not now, not with this beast lurking in the shadows with the dark cloak of invisibility. And who is to know what child or adult might have been in that store in the last two days, or what they might have touched.
I profoundly resent having to think like this.
Next month I’ll turn 65 years old. I am entirely confident that a vaccine will arrive within the year and that this particular pandemic will be roped into submission. But here’s what won’t be tied down, ever again. I’ll never be able to hold onto a safety rail and be confident that I am safeguarding my bones without jeopardizing my lungs. I’ll never be able to use a public washroom without sanitizer, soap, anxiety and copious use of their paper towels when I exit. I might never fly again. In my little town I don’t need to bus, tram or taxi - good thing, because those are off my list. In February I attended a public concert in Maui and I am so pleased to say it was the best one of my life. Because indeed, it might have been the last one of my life. I don’t regret that in the least; I feel lucky. Who knows what may lie ahead in the next five years, even if the vaccine is up and running and it has eradicated Covid. But even if it does, has this not opened everyone’s eyes like never before? It has mine. Whatever normal we eventually return to, I won’t be the same person. And I am not entirely sure that’s a bad thing. There is a microscopic community out there that we have treated with a blasé, casual indifference for far too long. That mistake has effected global change, some aspects of which are for the better good.
Slow down. Be mindful. Observe cleanliness and kindness. This has always been the foundation of common sense. Covid has presented us with an extortionate bill, the direct result of the abandonment of prudence and our frivolous sense of entitlement and indifference. And now, we pay.
