Running from Covid

I turned to look behind me. The coast was clear. No one was following my car. I looked again. In my rearview mirror, I noticed a suspicious-looking driver in a white truck. I was able to see that he wore his baseball cap low and had dark sunglasses. I wondered if he wore the outfit on purpose to disguise his features. However, he soon turned off the road, pulling into a nearby shopping center. I checked the mirror a third time, still no one. 

I wasn’t making a run from it from prison and I wasn’t a secret spy on the run in some foreign land. I never experienced anything like those two experiences, but I can’t imagine they would feel much different from what I’ve been experiencing lately. 

I made a run for it to get away from Covid. Let me be clear, we’re safe. Thank goodness, my family is well. As the old saying goes, we’re “none the worse for wear.” We’re just all tired of being stuck at home.

Going stir crazy

I had been cooped up for weeks, barely ever leaving the house. In the best of times, I have my vampire-like tendencies. My neighbors will tell you that I can be a modern-day hermit. I’ve never been one to hang out on the street chit-chatting or waving to passersby. With Covid upon us in record numbers, though, I’ve taken becoming a hermit to whole new heights. 

It got so bad, that I made a run for it. I didn’t do anything too extravagant. I didn’t make a run to the grocery store and say the hell with wearing a mask. No, no, I’m not that stupid. 

Instead, I went for a drive in the middle of the week. I had no destination in mind. I just needed to get out of the house for my own sanity. I needed to get away from the somber news and slow progress of vaccine distribution. Let’s say my state seems to working as fast as a sleepy-eyed sloth in distributing the vaccine. I don’t expect to get my shots until the late Fall at the earliest. 

Covid or mind games

In light of that, my routine has become very routinized: work, eat, and sleep all from the comforts of my home and repeat again. Yes, I’m fortunate that I get to work from home. I recognize how lucky I am. The routine though has started to affect my sleep. Here’s how: I notice a tickle in the back of my throat. I cough. I cough again, and my throat still feels rough. I notice too that my head is pounding. It feels like’s it been pounding forever. I close my eyes and try to sleep, but nothing comes.

I think of all the family and friends who’ve caught it. I think too of the thousands who’ve perished because of the horrible virus. Their stories are heart wrenching. My mind starts to wander. What if this is the start of Covid? What if I’ve got it? In a few minutes time, I’ve convinced myself that I’m hours away from making a hectic, crazy drive to be admitted to the hospital. I’m sure I’m a goner. I’m up and down the rest of the night.

Yes, I know that many people have gotten Covid and experienced the most minor of symptoms. I’m not disputing that. I’m simply highlighting my own personal thoughts. Of course, I wake the next morning and forget all about the virus. My throat is fine. My temperature is fine. My headache is long gone and I start the routine all over again.

Finding my sanity in a cup of coffee

With all those thoughts floating in my mind, I had had enough; I needed to get out of the house. I thought of all the places I could drive. No special trips to any islands. No cross country jaunts. Instead, I made a special middle-of-the-day coffee run to Dunkin Donuts. As simple as that.

Thank goodness for coffee. I made no other trips inside or out. I just got my coffee, tipped the barista extra and said a prayer for all the essential workers, and went back home. Yes, getting out can do a body good. And yes, I pray for a return to normalcy soon.