Sometimes, paranoia is a good thing. It can keep you from getting hurt. Such was the case in the Spring of 2020. After going to the Kiss concert, things started getting worse for our country and the world. Folks were getting Covid-19 right and left. A lockdown was ordered. One could not go outside except for necessities like food and pharmacy stuff. They were particularly warning those folks with underlying medical conditions and those over 65 to stay indoors. Two strikes against me. I am over 65, and my medical condition is dyspnea, which is a problem with my lungs. It developed after I became homeless and had that six-month bout with pneumonia.
About the only time I went out was to go to the grocery store or the post office. I felt like I was in a hazmat suit. I learned to wear a mask and carried hand sanitizer everywhere. I washed my hands more than I had in my entire life. We know now that some of that might have been overreacting, but the whole world knew nothing and had to trust the medical professionals. I think we all knew more about public health during this time than we ever learned in school.
People started dying of this disease. I lost many friends due to Covid. The first was early on in the pandemic. He worked for the Progressive Network and helped us with the Midlands Transit Riders Association. He thought he had the flu or a really bad cold. He couldn't breathe and died. His death hit a lot of people very hard, because he seemed healthy and watched what he ate. His obituary was printed in The New York Times, along with others around the country who died early on from Covid.
I stayed inside most of the day and watched TV. It is a good thing that I have so many movies on DVD. They came in handy. I ventured out once a day to visit with a friend, but we social distanced and wore masks. I needed to exercise, so I would walk around our parking lot or up the street for a block or so and come back. I didn't want to see anyone on the street, because they might spread germs to me. After 4 months of virtual isolation, I ventured out to a nearby walking track around a pond. There were geese and ducks in the pond. The track was almost a mile, and I took my time to get some fresh air and exercise. The next step was to get back on a bus. Everyone had to wear masks on the bus. I took a short ride to test the waters. Then came a longer ride to go to the doctor's office for a long-waited appointment. I started to feel a little less paranoid every day. I wasn't going to let this disease keep me from doing stuff.
Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff I wanted to do was cancelled. I couldn't go to church in person, but I could attend via TV or the internet. I couldn't go to any bus meetings, but I discovered Zoom. No more concerts for a while, but I had a lot of live music on CD's. I couldn't go to stores, but I ordered stuff from Amazon. One thing we humans seem to do rather well is adapting to a situation. There will be those stubborn people who want to live their lives without adapting. Many of my friends died, because they were not willing to adapt. I lost count at 20. Most shouldn't have died. Almost all had underlying conditions. One really stuck out. His name was Bill. I had known him for almost 40 years. He was a great guy and singer. He wanted to live his life the way he wanted to and on his own terms. When he got Covid, he went to the hospital. We all thought that he was doing better, when he took a turn for the worse. He said that he wished that he had listened to the doctors' advice. I miss Bill, as I miss all of my other friends who died of Covid. I am glad I am still paranoid.
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