What keeps you going?

[Diana Belland]

I’m looking forward most to being able to being able to take my electric wheelchair to local parks to ride the paved trails.   I was a runner and a hiker for many years and always drew strength and inspiration from “forest bathing” before that even became a “trend.”  I’ll still take precautions, though, such as wearing a mask, washing my hands and not touching my face.

I’m also looking forward to seeing my friends for lunch regularly again, and to visiting my daughters and their husbands who live in different states.

I anticipate that it will become acceptable not to shake hands and that people will be more careful about covering their faces when they sneeze or cough.   I’m wondering if we’ll be more wary of strangers for awhile and less inclined to go to public places where there is close proximity to others such as restaurants, bars, movie theatres, concert halls.   On the other hand, once there is an effective vaccine available for widespread use, we will probably return to our original habits.

Let’s hope that the most important change will be a much improved level of pandemic preparedness and coordination and an awareness that this can and will happen again.