Discussion about this post

User's avatar
never2old2resist's avatar

Thank you for taking the time to write this. I read every word, nodding the entire time. I deal with a lot of stupid people who think that wearing a mask is infringing on their rights. That following CDC guidelines is living in fear and so that isn't really living. I'm exhausted from being socially isolated and beyond words angry as I watch these same people prolonging the time that I will need to stay isolated. But I do it because I couldn't live with myself if my careless actions caused someone else to catch covid and die. And I do it to try to ease the burden, even just a little bit, on the healthcare workers. I loved every word you wrote. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Manifest Irony's avatar

Thank you so much for writing this! My family and I have been hold up in our house since March and of course it's wearing very, very thin. Then my wife gets on Facebook and sees all these people carrying on with life as normal. Picture after picture of gatherings, restaurant outings, weddings...without a mask in sight. She asks (rightfully) "why are we taking such extreme measures? Why aren't we living our lives just a little bit more in the open?" And I can only respond "Because I don't want any of us to get sick and possibly die AND I don't want any of us to be responsible for someone else's sickness or death." This debate has gone on for months and I sometimes start questioning my own position. "Maybe we could go out a bit more, masked of course. Maybe we could visit a restaurant -- they're all open!" All that has changed this week. Those people on Facebook? They're all catching Covid now. Scores of them. We're originally from the Atlanta metro area but live out-of-state so most of these people are in Georgia. Given the hospital situation there (spoiler: it is bah-leek) many of them are going to get sub-optimal care. And some are sadly going to die, not just from Covid but from other things that would be survivable if the health care system wasn't teetering on the brink of collapse. So thank you again - for steeling our resolve to stay home and for making me feel a little better about being a hardass about it. And thank you for being there on the front lines with your patients in their hour of need. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Expand full comment
13 more comments...

No posts