We all have routines and habits that we are comfortable with, whether it's what we have for breakfast or the route we take to work or the order in which we read the Sunday New York Times. But should something disrupt that pattern, while we may grouse about it ("How can we be out of orange juice??!!") we somehow manage to survive. We have Raisin Bran instead of Cheerios, go left on Cherry instead of right on Maple, read the Week in Review until the Arts and Leisure section gets delivered later in the day.
For all of us this past year has tested that concept in the extreme. There are few aspects of life that haven't been turned upside down and inside out. School, work, travel, communications, food, sports, entertainment, family: the list of things that have been disrupted is far longer than those that have stayed the same. That said, in each area there have been those instances where the pivot have been successful: all the major sports leagues figured out a way to finish their seasons and crown champions. Other areas have not been able to make the turn: the travel industry is in a deep funk and wounded to quick. In many more cases it's a mixed bag, where a combination of ingenuity, nimbleness, and a certain amount of luck have kept the lights on even if they aren't shining as bright as they might have been.
And then there're our social lives.
The watchword of the day says it all: "social distancing." Right up there with deafening silence, old news and jumbo shrimp, it's an oxymoron born of the times, first making an appearance in 2003. That said, it's not a new concept. The Bible contains a reference in the Book of Leviticus: "And the leper in whom the plague is - he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." In fact, the continuation of that very passage goes on to describe a seven-day quarantine for disease, not unlike the CDC guidelines. But before we fawn too much over the prescience of the Good Book, it should be noted that to be released from our isolation you just need a negative PCR test vs. the biblical prescription of the sacrifice of a lamb and a turtledove.
But social distancing is not isolation. Rather, it's just keeping others at a few arms' lengths. By now we have all seen the various simulations showing how the virus droplets are most likely to fall to the ground within a six-foot radius. This is especially true when you are not in an interior space where limited air circulation keeps it airborne. And so without being too pedantic about it, it would seem that it's OK to be social as long as you keep your distance, hence the mantra.
That means that experts say it's best to stay outdoors at an appropriate remove when you visit with others. And so in yet another feat of adaptation you see parks with what look like scores of crop circles or giant games of connect-the-dots that offer guidance as to how close we may safely get to one another. Closer to home, if you are like us, you gather in yards and on decks and patios at opposite ends of the picnic table to visit and chat, with each group having their own nibbles and drinks. It has turned us all into friendly if slightly hard of hearing seniors as we listen keenly and keep asking of those over there "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
Now that cold weather is upon us it's necessary to shift direction yet again. Loath to give up the modified human interaction to which we have grown accustomed, we adapt once more. Sales of space heaters are going through the roof as people cast about for ways to maintain that distance when the temperature is edging closer to freezing. In our case we repurposed an old unused patio space, added a small fire pit and some battery powered lights to create an outdoor living room where we can gather with friends. Once again it requires some changes, and though we have no Eskimo blood in us, we are learning the ropes. We provide the chili and blankets: you bring the wine and the mukluks.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford is learning to entertain in layers. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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