WASH YOUR HANDS

I woke up with an idea instead of a bad dream. It was almost 6:00 a.m. so I got up. I have a recumbent trike that I ride for exercise and I thought about making a stand so I could ride it in a stationery mode. But at best, it would be makeshift and less than adequate. Then it dawned, why not just fashion a workout station in the garage. I either have or can get bungie cords, rope and pulleys. Then, for not too much expense, I can get a simple stationery bike. In the pre Covid-19 world I wouldn’t have cared much for the idea but now it seems like a socially distanced avenue to some needed exercise. 

I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist but neither have I been a naive main-streamer. Right now, the experts tell us to keep a 6 ft. cushion from other people. But everything has changed in recent weeks and with nothing to hang my hat on, it wouldn’t surprise me if things change again. If the CDC & WHO come up with new/better, safer rules, you can’t very well fault them for not being better, sooner. So I take the 6 ft. rule as a best guess. At this point, it will be better to err on the side of caution. So I am rethinking going out walking or for bike rides. After all, for octogenarians the margin of error is zero. I’m also taking the predictions about flattening the curve in a month or two and restoring safe travel (interaction) as a best guess. So my garage looks like my most reliable, best guess. 

The hand washing and wiping down, alcohol, bleach, ammonia are starting to feel natural and sanitizing groceries/mail is also falling into the new norm. The gravity of navigating this viral mine field is sinking in. For me, retired, my day is a full time endeavor. I can’t imagine how it must vex young families and those who have lost jobs. History will certainly identify the heroes and culprits but that will come with hindsight. Human nature is the curse they all share. When 3rd World countries suffer from famine and pestilence it is easy to point out where they fumbled the ball. Placing blame is the first skill that any leader must master to survive. Western Civilization fumbled the ball seriously here. In a capital driven, free market culture, nobody wants to invest in a safety net against something dreadful that might happen, maybe, someday. The average human life span is short. With a history that goes back to Gilgamesh, man’s memory is even shorter. “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” Accumulating unprecedented wealth and then hoarding it makes perfect sense; now there is a testament to unpreparedness. But the hook line is clever and a dash of conservative bravado is always well received. 

I don’t need to watch television to sense the panic. World health experts were not surprised. They petition their governments constantly for funds and staff that would allow for ongoing research and a means of rapid response. Anticipating the worst; if something horrendous is possible, sooner or later it will come to pass. I feel like the fly on the wall. National and local leaders are wrestling with the dilemma, to sacrifice the economy for human lives or lives for the economy? I’m glad I don’t have that weight on my back. Excuse me, I have a bar of soap and it’s time to wash my hands. I have some rope and bungie cord. If you come over to share a dose of human nature, I’ll have to ask you to stay at the curb.