I Just Missed Getting Hit By A Car Today
It was Covid’s Fault.
I run often, but lately I’ve been getting up at sunrise or embracing the new and weird world of Zwift — virtual running. Avoidance of people is paramount because running is about peace and relaxation, and this doesn’t work when I’m worried about catching the plague. Today however, I thought come on — it’s Friday.
So out I went and it was indeed nice, but as soon as I opened a door a UPS guy was there running away. I think he feared that I might want to speak with him — I did not.
50 feet later, I had the dreaded multiple people coming from different directions. No worries though, I tend to have my most confidence and least amount of concern in the first half of the run. I threw up my mask and successfully avoided these non-masked brethren.
I made it a good quarter of a mile before I came upon a blind corner. If you have any familiarity with worrying, in the world of COVID, I assume you are familiar with blind corners. Parallel to the sidewalk is the road and then a commonly used trail intersects with a large wooden wall. There always seems to be a person — right there.
Today, right on cue was a guy and his kid and the guy sneezed as soon as he appeared. I turned, and I might have looked, but there was no car and then a car coming the other way — I saw this just in time and stopped.
I’m not sure if I was lucky or if I just can’t remember that I looked, but today was a low point in this new world. What a dumb way to die.
Every day I see first-hand accounts of people having this thing that sound horrendous like being 60+ days sick. I see studies showing really bizarre symptoms like the inability to taste spicy food. And all the while, the stock market continues to soar based on what — this month being the worst? I see the number of masks people wear rapidly falling to nonexistent. I see leaders speaking of success and “mission accomplished”. Where is the reality amongst these two extremes?
Am I nuts? Or am I doing the right thing?
I’ve long worried about my health more than most, but I fear a more extended period of worry is sneaking up on me. In December, I’d casually go to the grocery store and I might wipe the cart. I wouldn’t use hand sanitizer afterward. Now, I order groceries via delivery and jump into oncoming traffic because of sneezes…
Where is the voice of reason to lull us back towards normalcy? Why are there so many opinions when this invisible risk is so terrifying… or not a big deal?
My only assumption is that if I feel like this, there are others, and we have a long way to go. And rationally, I get that avoiding a sneeze is not worth being hit by a car, but I’m not sure how to prepare my reactionary side for some future unpredictable event.
Which leaves me at an impasse, and with only one somewhat scary proposition. I’m going to have to decide for myself.
I could see how many might be able to claim that they are deciding for themselves, but I have to doubt if they really are. If a person wore a mask last week, and they don’t this week, then I have to assume they stopped because they were embarrassed.
This seems like they decided based on the decisions of others rather than their own. And if anyone has been paying attention, I’m not sure if the common person should be left to make these decisions themselves. After months of research and as much as I’d like to claim epidemiologist status, I shouldn’t be left to determine the actual risk of a seemingly very dangerous pathogen.
So I’m going to stick with the paranoid until there’s some more clarity on how dangerous this thing really is, or until a consensus of some kind rises from the scientists of the world.
Whatever the future holds, people are drastically overestimating their ability to return to the carefree world of Christmas past.
Best of luck world, and try to avoid cars.
