Stay At Home Update

It has been two month now since our Stay At Home order has been in place here in Tampa Florida. Due to the coronavirus we have been told to stay at home except for essential trips to the grocery, pharmacy, and gas stations. All retail businesses/malls, parks, beaches, restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and anything else not considered essential to maintaining the community and fighting the spread of this deadly virus have been shut down. Social distancing orders are in place to reduce the spread and wearing masks in public is now socially acceptable as the norm. Older individuals like myself and my wife are in the group that is highly vulnerable to the virus, as well as being African American and having risk factors including heart disease, high blood pressure, and respiratory illnesses.

After living in confines quarters with my wife who is an acknowledged germaphobe is a blessing and a curse at the same time. She has always been disinfecting our surroundings, telling me to not touch things like door knobs, public railing, or anything in a public restroom. Washing my hands has been mandatory throughout, even with a killer virus. Kitchen and bathrooms are spotless and cleaned with military precision. She is taking excellent care of both of us. It is difficult sometimes though to not be able to live casually without the constant reminders of potential dangers from everything and everybody. Conversations come up aver the most trivial of things, which cause her to be stressed, and me to try not to respond similar to the grandchildren who call her petty. I just call her Extra.

My wife is a loving woman who is cursed with the need to take care of everyone, and critiques the needs of everybody. The neighbor should toss those dead flowers on her porch, this person should cut their grass, the motel should paint and put up a new fence, No one knows how to drive properly, including yours truly who receives instructions and narration constantly. I worry about her and her stress levels, as even when we go the park for our daily walk. She is terribly angry about the fact that people have fed the squirrels and now that don't really have a fight/flight response. She is convinced that they will attack her. She has no tolerance for bike riders who pass us on the pathway and do not say "on your left" to alert you of their coming. Walkers on the wrong side of the path are admonished yards away and told to move over, which they normally do before getting to us. Bugs and sweating are almost unbearable. But after all this, she loves the beautiful day outside the condo and breathing the fresh air.

This week begins the phase 1 for reopening the state. Beaches and parks are reopened. Restaurants can reopen with social guidelines and serve inside and outside, as well as take out orders. Beauty and barbershops are back open.  Gyms will be open next as well as swimming pools. It will probably be some time before we get out to any of these with the virus still out there and still infecting people. A vaccine is a ways off and I will put my money on my loving germaphobe wife to keep me safe and in line.