Confusion, Anxiety and Exposure Therapy
I have been told by several people that I am, among other things, a metaphysical scout in that, either by design or misadventure, I find myself out in front of the pack processing the situation and bringing back a balanced and multi-layered assessment which people find informative and reliable for varying reasons. Thankfully, my 'missions' these days are less by misadventure and usually a product of careful planning. However, this particular mission was brought about by neither situation. Instead, it was the culmination of several really intense days of sadness in which I realized that my mother, sisters and their families were making the family's annual trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC and the simultaneous realization that despite being surrounded by nearly surreal physical beauty, I was experiencing a whole lot of inertia as with the ever-shifting landscape of politics, medicine and life plans, aside from my faith, there wasn't much to ground down into. After a tearful telephone call to my mother, I thought my mental health as important as my physical health and I decided the risk to the latter was currently the lesser liability. And so, I made the decision to purchase a last-minute ticket out of the funds I had saved for Europe and visit my family for a long weekend. My trip started late morning on Friday, flew me into Phoenix, Arizona for an 18 hr layover, departed again the next morning for a flight from Phoenix to Charlotte, NC and finally, ended after a quick connection to fly into Wilmington, NC. So many things are very inexpensive right now; hotels and rental cars are being advertised at rock-bottom prices; even flights booked last minute are the amount one would usually pay for an advance purchase fare. Therefore, it was really easy to not only purchase a rental car for when I arrived in Wilmington (which cost less than 75 dollars for 4 days- with tax!) but to get a decent hotel room for less than 100.00 for my extended layover in Phoenix.
The way people are doing it and the way it's supposed to be done
How many Chocolate-covered marshmallow bunnies do you think I'm going to give you if you guess this is a dichotomy as large as Siberia? None? Absolutely correct. Why? Because only the most naive of people would have guessed there is some synergy applied to the methods we, as citizens of the this country, are using to go about managing this. However, in order to know this for certain, you really must experience it en masse; which means leaving your house and, for greatest effect, traveling across state lines.
Generally, the concept is that if your epidemiological statistics in a given area pass a certain benchmark, you can recommence a certain amount of commerce with a list of varying precautions in place depending on the place in which you live.
I do not dare denigrate the group of sci-fi fans I hold dear in my heart by feigning to be one of any note but I'm certain through my years of dating and cavorting around with them, I remember so many movie/television scenarios where there is supposed to be a deadly pathogen or some other similar threat and yet, there are a group of renegades who congregate in outlying places where rules are disparaged and generally ignored predominantly because they have yet to see evidence of such.
Helloooo, Arizona!
With a very low death and infection rate and a whole lot of protesters toting guns coupled with a state government run predominately by Republicans, I would have to say I can understand why this perception exists. Except that it's effected the whole world which would preclude politics especially, in this instance, American politics. Just for purposes of clarification, I will continue to add juxtapositions when they arise but probably won't expound on them as I think just leaving them there like bones to take back to a cave and chew on might be a better way to cultivate independent thought on various matters.
And so, there are signs in the airport that say all people entering must wear a face mask but also people running around without them and no one attempting to enforce compliance.
It seems the available Uber drivers, or at least the two I encountered, are speed fiends who care nothing for masks but instead prefer to use their drug- addled state to attempt to make the most money in the shortest amount of time whilst talking your ear off at what seemed like 200 words a minute during your 15 min ride. I thought I could be tangential but it seems the two Uber drivers I had win the ultimate prize in run-on platitudes that extrapolate in to wild stories of ill-fated fares with organizational issues (??).
The very inexpensive hotel in which I stayed was inexpensive because duh! they were undergoing major renovations which (of course) wasn't a thing mentioned when I booked on Hotels Tonight. Obviously, the locals in the community have caught on. As the property boasts an impressive sized pool and 50 person hot tub which extends 8 feet beyond the end of the pool and matches it in width, it has become a haven for what I can only assume are local families looking for an inexpensive vacation after months of being sequestered together doing home schooling . It might have been a scene from Disney resort for the working class or an RV park swimming pool in the middle of July as none, and I mean no one, was even acting like there was anything different happening at all. There were at least 50 people at the pool; children and parents a like doing what one usually sees done in such scenarios. The water in the pool and the hot tub was a beige tinge from over use but no matter, the shenanigans continued until way after 10 pm. Mind you, I'm not about being a spoil sport about letting couped-up kids have fun and although I don't have a little anymore, I can remember what it feels to combat childhood restlessness and boredom; it can turn very tumultuous very quickly. This being said, the mind boggles as to why, during a pandemic, one would let one's children congregate in mass around water unless you mistakenly believe that chlorine will kill the virus because, you know, bleach and stuff. The Libra rising and the nurse in me pauses at that last thought and thinks, 'Humm.. well, to be fair.." See what I mean? Contradictions and uncertainties at every turn.
However, when I discovered that Phoenix's restaurants were open for full service, even I couldn't resist the opportunity to have food in a dine-in atmosphere. I made sure to pick the most granola, hippie, organic restaurant I could find, which, in of itself, is not unusual for me, but not before I looked at their website to ensure they had made mention of what safety precautions they were employing for their patrons. After feeling satisfied this particular establishment was following CDC guidelines for dine- in restaurants, I made a reservations. I am not going to lie, the establishment did not disappoint on any front and I ended up having one of the better meals I've had in the last 6 months. I made my reservation near closing time as I thought this might ensure a less populated dining area and I was correct in my assumption as there were only 10 other diners in the the entire 1000 sq ft establishment. I even got a seat at the bar next to the chef's station which was separated from diners by plexiglass. I like that seating when I dine alone as not only do I get dinner, I usually get banter from waitstaff et al especially in more intimate atmospheres such as this was. Even this experience was tinged with a sense of guilt as I thought that maybe I might be disappointing friends or family who felt differently about such things and who would think, upon reading this, I was behaving irresponsibly and selfishly. Moral dilemmas abound moment to moment in the New Frontier.
No matter, after slaking my appetite with amazing food cooked by someone other than me and served somewhere other than through the window of my car or in my home, I was definitely ready to get to bed as my flight would leave at 0830 the next morning.
The room actually had a seal on the door which read 'sanitized for your protection' with a hand-written time and date of said cleaning. Also, in contrast to the other parts of the property, it was surprisingly well-appointed, spacious and comfy and well, who doesn't like occasionally sleeping in a bed other than the one you own at home? Maybe not you but I certainly do. I slept like a rock.
I made it to the airport in plenty of time for my departure. The flight was relatively full and yes, a face mask was required to travel on the plane although you can take it off to eat or drink. There is also an announcement by the flight attendants in which it is said, "Due to extenuating circumstances, some passengers might not be able to wear a face covering. We ask that you be empathetic with these people and sic 'mind your own business' or some such verbiage plied in marketing terminology meant to turn a proverbial atom bomb into a white fluffy cloud of happiness. Also, did I mention the flight was full except for the exit rows? Yes, full. As in, no social distancing whatsoever. Again, I'm just recounting observations and although my wording may seem to contain my opinion, I am just a person who is coming out of a six week cave-like sleep in a state where CDC guidelines are being followed and adhered to pretty strictly. The truth is some times often different than the reality and the reality may or may not follow the truth; or some such.
And then there's North Carolina...
Hey, North Carolineans, how many of you think there's an pandemic going on? Imma going to guess about 20 per cent of you based on my observations upon arrival to your state. Charlotte airport? Ok, wow. I even took pictures for posterity, it was so crowded. And by the way, is a face mask just something you have just in case someone asks you to put it on? Evidently so, North Carolina. In Charlotte, at least there were signs in the airport stating you needed to be wearing a mask and the airport employees were wearing them. In Wilmington's airport? Not even a single sign. I felt like a middle aged raver in my face sleeve. Never the less, I persisted despite the stares and this is from someone who has already asserted her difficulty with donning a mask more than an hour at a time. Wrightsville Beach is open for business and by that I mean, it is obvious that people think the pandemic is over for them. I can only guess by the majority of North Carolinians' behavior that if the numbers are low for Arizona, they must be gargantuan in comparison to the numbers in North Carolina. My family, however, is practicing mask wearing in the grocery store and social distancing with me, the newbie to the immunity pool. In fact, upon arrival, my sisters requested I shower and change clothing; a smart move on their part, I think. So while there were no hugs, there was a lot of love and good company, too.
What does it all mean?
The answer, I think, remains to be seen. If the science is correct, a lot of people are going to be very sick in about 6 weeks. If not, then we've missed something or somehow, with social distancing, we've starved the virus of a host long enough to eradicate it, at least for now. In the meantime, it's just every man for himself as usual. I'm no less guilty as I am going to continue to travel and have even made plans with an old friend whom I haven't seen in 20 years to visit me in California at the end of June so that we can reconnect, I can have some convivial and congenial company and they can have a bit of a break from homeschooling children and other such things that, while they ultimately make life worthwhile, a break from which can leave a person refreshed and ready to resume such activities with renewed gusto. I will continue to adhere to CDC guidelines by wearing a mask, practicing hand hygiene and doing my best to social distance from those whose pandemic protocol doesn't line up with my own which, of course, includes strangers. However, I will be watching to see the outcome of this ongoing experiment and also hoping my landing somewhere in the middle of things will be the best decision since I am fortunate enough not to have anyone medically fragile in my immediate periphery, have been in quarantine for the last six weeks and prior to that, tested negative for the virus. Someone has to be brave or at least, foolhardy enough to ride out in front and tell others what's really happening out there. I guess it may as well be me because as I like to say, "What else am I doing?";)