Tired of social distancing? There are still reasons to be thankful
By now, most responsible people closely adhering to social-distancing orders and other recommendations during the coronavirus pandemic are feeling, let’s face it, a little trapped.
No matter how beautiful our homes are, how soaring the views are around us, how many ways we find to entertain ourselves, the COVID-19 situation for many is getting a bit — how to say it politely — boring.
Even with distractions from Netflix to knitting, marathon cooking to spring cleaning, working and studying online, we find ourselves chafing under the stay-at-home restrictions.
Yes, we can go outside to garden, take walks and recreate on our own or with our housemates. But some of our favorite sites are off limits now.
Parking for some coastal state and county park areas, such as for Morro Bay State Park, Morro Strand and Cayucos state beaches, is closed, as is the parking lot for Cambria’s Shamel Park. Cayucos Pier is also closed. .
The bluff and marine terrace trails of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in Cambria have temporarily been made one way, providing a loop route that helps people maintain 6-foot social-distancing separation. That may make the round-trip hike too long for some people.
We understand the need for these measures. We need to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic. Unquestionably. But still.
We miss things. We miss activities. We miss people.
We miss normalcy.
For some of us, social media provides a crucial link — although some have gone old-school by writing letters and making phone calls. No matter how we moan about such online platforms as Facebook, Instagram, Zoom and WhatsApp, those are providing us now with a way to continue connecting to our important people and the outside world in general.
As one respondent in Hawaii put it, he’s grateful for “being able to communicate from a distant archipelago.” Another praised “real-time, face-to-face connectivity.”
Someone else said social media offers an “unparalleled feeling of waving from afar, thus connecting silently in a way I never dreamed.”
During social isolation, we yearn for hugs
What do we miss most in our isolation? To find out, I asked the gang online.
Hands down (literally), what my dozens of respondents seem to miss most are hugs and the people they most want to give them to … friends, family and especially grandchildren.
As a passionate lifelong hugger, I can relate. It’s second nature for me to greet people with my arms outstretched.
Somehow, an elbow tap just doesn’t cut it.
But for now, it’ll have to do — although I do prefer the Bob Fosse-style “jazz hands” greeting for its festive nature. (Hold both hands out in front of you, and wiggle them quickly back and forth, side to side.)
What else are people yearning for?
Petting other people’s dogs. Cuddling babies and toddlers. Going to the library. “Going to the (Cookie) Crock market without a care in the world.”
People miss going out to a restaurant to eat.
They miss their normal group gatherings, from church services and choir practices to Rotary meetings and Wine Divas’ lunches, morning gatherings at the local espresso shop or bakery.
They’re sad about canceled trips and events, especially significant ones like weddings and graduations.
“I miss the freedom to come and go as I please,” one respondent said.
“I miss dancing audiences who let me sing to them,” said a mournful Oregonian entertainer.
They miss long conversations over coffee or wine.
They miss shared laughter.
They miss normalcy.
SLO County residents have lots of gratitude
And yet, amid all this, my respondents are grateful for so much, they say.
Some obvious reasons for that thankfulness include the dedication of health care workers, first responders, employees in essential-services businesses (such as grocery stores — bless Cookie Crock!), truckers, restaurateurs offering take-out and/or delivery and more. And the generosity of some businesses, such as Robin restaurant’s Shanny Covey offering free bread and soup to people who’ve lost their jobs during the crisis.
My respondents say they’re also grateful for their own “well-stocked pantry and fridge” and “neighbors and friends offering to help.”
Also on the list are “my horse,” garden, dog, cats, walks outside, natural beauty, more time for guitar practice, time to learn new skills and the ability to get along with housemates during the forced togetherness.
One woman said she’s glad to have “time to reflect on what’s really important.”
Another said joyously, “No bra, no problem!”
Someone else noted that she’s saving about $50 per week in fuel costs because she’s not commuting.
And get this: Cookie Crock department manager Alan Hill replied that he’s grateful for “my job,” that the market remains open and “we try to keep everything stocked. But the customers are the driving force who continue to thank us for what we do … and the gratitude I feel, daily, is what keeps me motivated to do the best I can do. In times like we are having, I feel like ‘Tiny Tim’... ‘God bless us all.’”
Most of all, those who still have it are profoundly grateful for their good health. And if all this is what it takes to keep that, then they’ll accept the responsibility and opportunity to make a difference in this intense — and occasionally lonely and boring — fight to keep as many people as healthy as possible.
