Ramblin’ Road: Promising cure prospects fade away

by Phyllis McCrossin

I’m exhausted. I think we all are.

The summer began with high expectations, didn’t it?

We had a vaccine. Things were going to get back to normal. Life, as we knew it was returning. To hell with the reports of a Covid variant, we were going to be able to get out, visit places, see friends, shop, go out to eat, attend movies, throw away those darn masks… life was going to be good once again.

But things don’t always work out as planned, or hoped for, do they.

Last week the Center for Disease Control came out with the recommendation that even those fully vaccinated begin wearing masks again. My employer never stopped wearing his mask. He didn’t require we wear masks, but he decided for himself he’d rather be safe than sorry.

And though he never required we don our masks, one by one we pulled out our dirty masks, washed them and reluctantly put them back on.

I have to admit, I always had this uneasy feeling about forgoing wearing a mask. I know better than to believe all those coming into the store without masks were fully vaccinated. I simply hoped my vaccine would prevent me from getting Covid. I guess it did. I haven’t gotten sick… yet.

The local VanBuren/Cass Health Department came out with the recommendation that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in public places. I’m sure there are anti-maskers, anti-vaxers who would cite questionable sources, discredited doctors and a host of Facebook posts regarding the use of masks or the safety of the vaccine to argue against the health department’s recommendation.

I’m going to be blunt here. To those people I say, “Go chase yourself.”

Last week we had a nurse come into the store and tell us since she was a Christian she was no longer going to live in fear because she was prepared to meet her maker. Nothing was going to make her put her mask back on and if her time was up, she would gladly meet her Lord and Savior. Fan-damn-tastic lady.

What about the unvaccinated child who is also in the store? Or the elderly person standing next to you? You do realize you can still spread the virus to them, right? The good Lord gave you a brain and reasoning. Use it. I thought Christians were not supposed to be selfish and self-centered.

It’s 2 a.m. as I write this, and a whole lot of thoughts (most of them angry and bitter) are keeping me awake.

I genuinely like meeting the people who come into the store. Most of them are happy. They are on vacation after all. But I have to ask, why are we putting ourselves at risk like this so people can buy souvenir T-shirts? It’s simple. We all have to make a living. So we take risks.

I’ve started grocery shopping online. I feel pretty smug that I can shop from the comfort of my own home (or travel trailer as it were), get our groceries and personal items and not have to venture out into public. But the people shopping for my food still have to contend with the public. So, I reasoned, I’ll give them a big tip. And therein is the rub… I fell into the “give them extra money for risking their health,” trap.

Guess I should not feel so smug.

The fact is, just because for a few brief weeks we were able to discard are masks, life did not return to normal. We pretended it did. But it didn’t. Not really.

Nothing brings it into focus more than the fact that businesses can’t get the help they need, suppliers are closed permanently, and beneath the surface people are just plain tired.

I gave my notice several weeks ago. I told my employer I’d work through Labor Day. I’d love to just stop working right now. But I’ve given my word and I intend to keep it. I hope I don’t regret it.