The Fear of Shopping in the Midst of the Pandemic

I haven’t been out much lately, or at all for that matter. But a couple of days ago I finally tried to venture out. I live in Florida, where mandates aren’t as stringent when it comes to COVID 19. But I needed to go shopping, in a store where there could have been COVID 19 lurking around any corner. As I was walking through the store, most people had a mask on, but of course, there were some who didn’t. And Some were socially distancing, but again, there were some who were not. Normally I like to mind my own business and shop; the only reason I went was to buy my son a jacket. But I never really noticed how scared I was of COVID19 until entering into a clothing store, where there were a good amount of people shopping. And it made me nervous and cringy, to say the least.

The first thing that freaked me out was that there were no automatic doors. Everyone entering or leaving had to grab the same handle to open the door. Before the pandemic if someone would've complain about not having automatic doors, I would’ve probably thought, “how lazy” or “how entitled” or "Oh gosh, you mean you have to actually open your own door?". But this time wasn't about laziness or entitlement, it was about all of the collective germs building up over time on that one door handle. All of the microscopic viruses, germs, snot, phlegm, and bacterias ready to infiltrate my immune system. When I got to the front door, I stopped for a minute to think about how I was going to open it. It was like I was going to have to jump through a ring of fire to get into the building. I was like, "Oh no, what am I going to do?" Luckily, my fiance acted fast and grabbed the handle with a paper towel. I thought, “Phew! That was close. He saved us, my hero!” Then, with all of us unscathed, we entered into the store.

When we first walked in, it seemed like people were congregating in different places, some in the middle of the store, and some around the registers. We decided quickly to travel around the perimeter of each department. Then suddenly, my fiance decided to break off and look as something in the men’s section. He said, “I will meet you over there, I want to look at something real quick.” I felt abandoned; he broke our line of defence. And now it was just me and my 5 year old, roughing it through the storm. We dodged and weaved through other shoppers, as if they were zombies trying to infect us. I would catch myself holding my breath at times so I wouldn’t breathe in any lingering clouds of virus left behind by unmasked shoppers. Then finally, we made it to the boys section; all to find out that there were no jackets in my son's size. By this time my fiance had caught up to us. We were bummed that there wasn’t a jacket in stock. With the sound of defeat in my voice I said, “I’ll just order him a jacket online.” After that, we scurried out of the store and into the safety of our car.

I know this story seems a little crazy, and it was embellished a bit for the sake of entertainment. But my fear is still very real. COVID 19 is still very real. And even for the most unlikely person, it could become deadly. Frankly, I don’t feel like gambling with mine or my family’s life. I guess I would feel better if everyone was on board with wearing a mask. What some fail to realize is that it is not a violation of rights, it is to make sure that we can stop the spread of a potentially deadly virus that has already killed so many in the United States already. And the numbers are climbing. But if yrt, our government did nothing, and sat back while COVID 19 spreads like wildfire and kills half of the population, I am sure the anti-maskers who would be protesting the government for not doing anything to protect its citizens. It just boggles my mind. I guess people don’t understand either about the idea of protecting each other by wearing a mask, not just ourselves. It’s not about just you, it is about us. Help me to help you, right? I found a meme that sums this sentiment up pretty well, as to why we should all wear masks. I got it from:

https://www. truthorfiction.com/wear-your-mask-the-urinetest-analogy-meme/

Now whether you believe this or not, it does make sense; along with washing/sanitizing our hands, and social distancing. This is the trifecta that will help keep us all safe. And honestly, if you don’t need to go shopping, just order it online. This will only be temporary, it is not permanent. It is a means to an end. Then, hopefully, we can go back to some type of normalcy again. That way everyone can go back to shopping, using one door to enter, touching the same door handle, and congregating around the registers while breathing in each other's germs. Ok...A little too far? I’m just kidding...But listen, I miss going out too. I am a social person, and not having to wear a mask, or constantly be thinking about a virus that could potentially kill even the healthiest of people, would be amazing! So believe me, I feel your pain. But I bet that pain is nowhere near as bad as the pain experienced from losing a loved one who died alone in a hospital from COVID19. Just let that thought marinate for a little bit...