I have Covid.

And so it is that after two years of being mindful, careful, I let a trojan horse in through the lovely person of my fiancee, who, while careful, got Covid from a superspreader event. Why did she work it? She had to. She needs the money. And 75% of those there didn’t care enough about her, or the many others they’ve infected, to mask up. 

I’m fine.

I’m triple-vaxxed (Pfizer, Pfizer, Moderna booster) and relatively young and healthy and have a roof over my head, good food, blankets, a hot tub, health care coverage (though I too rarely use it) and a caring community. Many aren’t so  lucky. Many can’t isolate (Michelle, who I got it from, who got it essential workering the superspreader Denver Stock Show where 75% were unmasked, not caring about their fellow humans).

I’ll be fine. It’s been 10 days now, sick, mostly sniffles, foggy head, though last four days it’s been a bit hard to breathe deeply. I do want to remind folks in the US to order your free at-home tests via USPS, and likely elsewhere locally, and to mask when indoors in public, and to eat/coffee outdoors, as taking off masks indoors is not safe. Distance can help, indoors particularly, but getting vaxxed and wearing a well-fitting good mask are key.

And if you are against masks and think Covid is overhyped, remember that you do care for others, remember that millions have died and are dying today, and this isn’t fiction, and if you got and survived Covid, truly I am happy for you, but many haven’t been so lucky. We can get through this together quickly, and get back to no masking and good community times, and if we vax card, as in some restaurants/clubs in Boulder (and if we can reduce transmission, as in much of Canada), we can good times today.

But much of this waiting for good times, angry about having this pandemic, impatience stuff can end, right now, with a deep breath. It may be more boring, I miss community, but there are still many ways to create community, to enjoy ourselves safely, to connect, to live fully.

This summer, my fiancee and I traveled all over Europe and Canada and the US safely, while caring about others. Yes, it was a slight hassle, sometimes, but rarely. If we’re powered by impatience, and rage, I get it, but that won’t get us where we want to go. Where we want to go is to make full friends with ourselves, and others, and care for others. And may there be Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to All. Remember that good stuff, from just one month ago? It’s Christian, it’s kind, it’s caring—to care.