Thoughts
Continuing my reflections for the future [Whither, Ugly, Ponder].
We will remember the big inconveniences, the tragedies, the headlines. Will we remember the little inconveniences? The passing thoughts? The setbacks that made life irksome?
How’s that for a justification to whinge about minor things?
Let the whining begin!
1) Not stopping for a snack while driving. This is the one that started my list. Every time we get in the car for an essential trip, I think to myself, ‘Hey, I can pick up a candy bar at … no, I can’t.”
1b) Related to the above. Not popping into the convenience store for that candy bar when we get stop for gas.
1c) No stopping on the way home. No combining errands. Go and come directly home. Every new stop risks cross-contamination. I read this advice somewhere. Apologies for not remembering where. Dunno about you, but I have read so many, many articles with advice and best practices and risk assessment and on and on and on.
I confess that both of us go out when an errand needs to be run. Only one of us goes into the store. The other one goes along for the ride. Yes, just like the dog.
2) Panic when someone calls instead of texts. That moment when you see a family member’s name on your screen. This was true before, even more so now.
3) Toilet paper. Really? Still?
4) Is this worth using up a mask for?
5) Arranging my liquid intake before trips to avoid using public toilets. Research is coming out that less ventilated spaces are not good, restrooms even more so. “Treat public bathrooms with extra caution (surface and air), until we know more about the risk.” The Risks – Know Them – Avoid Them, Dr. Erin Bromage, May 6 2020. Excellent article in general. “… reopening. It’s going to happen if I like it or not, so my goal here is to try to guide you away from situations of high risk.”
6) Internet. Wishing for more, better, faster. The joy of living in the country.
7) Spontaneity. Not that I had much before. At least we had the option.
8) Restraining myself from looking with judgment on people who do/do not wear masks or on businesses that are/are not open. It’s a pandemic, not a purity test.
9) Sending work-related emails when I do not know the situation of the recipient. Are they WFH and bored? Are they out of work and frantic? Are they living with a frontline worker and stressed? How should I phrase this? What if I say something stupid & look like a goof? Or worse, unprofessional? Amusingly goofy I could handle. People who are laughing are people who are willing to talk. But I digress.
10) Chewing on one side of my mouth. Have a touchy tooth that needs to be looked at but – fortunately – is not critical enough to meet the emergency protocol requirements. Worrying that the wrong chomp will trip said protocols.
What are your minor irritations? Here are a few from Bel Joeor: Share your absolute most petty complaints. The shared griping continues in the comments.
Update. Found the article. “Dr. Leana Wen … She suggests you choose one of these nonessential places to visit, then avoid the rest to limit your exposures to other people … The more public places you visit, the higher your likelihood of becoming infected or infecting others.” CNN: Read this before you venture out in public By Scottie Andrew, May 1, 2020
Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
You still can’t find toilet paper either?
We’ve never been out, but finding system-friendly paper is still hard.
Have you tried hot salted water rinses for the tooth?
Thanks for the concern. Tooth shattering. Only thing that will help is a crown. Something to look fwd to.
Dollar General consistently has toilet paper and paper towels. McDonald’s has left it’s bathroom open for travelers, I’ve heard, since the rest areas are closed.
I miss hugging my friends and family and just sitting somewhere together and chatting.
I miss going to the movie theater. I didn’t go that often, but I miss the option.
I miss day trips and finding a quirky place to eat lunch and meet the locals.
I have to get out once in a while, so I still go to my antique stores, now that they have reopened. I only go there and then go home. They aren’t crowded, but I still wear a mask.
“I miss the option.” Preach.
Not missing anything. I’m doing life just as I always did and not buying into the hype and panic. Spending less time online since most of the info one can find there is fake and/or manipulated and not at all helpful or encouraging. Glad it’s spring … plenty to do.
“less time online” A pandemic doesn’t really satisfy the needs of the 24/7 new cycle, does it? They have to find something to warble about.
Maybe you don’t buy into the hype and panic, but I live in an old peoples’ building and there are still nut cases who don’t observe social distancing (new phrase in the English language). Some still try to get close to my dog and dogs can catch the virus from people (but not the other way around). In addition to age I have ‘underlying conditions’ which puts me in the extra high risk group. Not all info online is fake or manipulated, you just need to pay attention to the source.I have to be concerned. I’ve got bi-polar and PTSD which makes things even harder. Maybe I’m misreading the tone of your comment. Maybe it just upset me because the county I live in isn’t re-opening like the rest of the state because there are too many new cases every day. And maybe I’ll just rant a bit in my own blog.
Depends on the argument. Spend less time watching the news to protect your mental health vs. the virus is a joke. (This was an actual comment on a local news story.) The first I can get behind. The latter is tinfoil hat territory.
My husband and I travel out together too, and one stays in the car, just like the dog!! So funny!!
You have to find humor and laugh, it makes everything easier.
You leave your dog alone in your car? Around here,that’s against the law and the police will come, especially in summer.
“find humor” It’s either laugh or cry.
“dog alone in your car.” Did y’all see the demo where a vet sat in a hot car for 1/2 an hour? Ick.
No, didn’t see. Can only imagine. I called the cops once, poor dog was suffering and the window was too high for me to give him some water. He left before the cops got there.
General Comment
Here’s a thought. I can whine and everyone who reads it – everyone on the planet – understands what I’m talking about. The first truly global event?
Update. Fixing my antecedents.
I can whine and everyone who reads it, and, in fact, everyone on the planet, would understand what I’m talking about. The first truly global event?
Dos that make it clear that I meant everyone would understand the situation?
Sloppy grammar.
If everyone on the planet read your blog, then yes. Everybody with a blog (or Facebook page) whining, then maybe it is global coverage. And no doubt everyone will understand what you’re talking about.
Not so much the coverage (imagine the pressure) as everyone understanding the subject. A weird phenomenon. Went back and amended comment.
I so agree with all of these. I miss stopping for sandwiches on our way to go hiking. We are just starting to venture back outside, but every time we pass a Wawa, it makes me sad. And I laughed at going for a ride like the dog. Whenever Mike has to drop something off at the office, I come along. I don’t leave the car, but the change of scenery is nice. I’m about ten minutes away from barking at squirrels out the living room window too.