Friday, May 8, 2020

Terrifying Trips to the Supermarket

Who would have thought that going to the supermarket would be a terrifying experience.  I made my weekly trip to the supermarket this morning.  It's the most stressful thing that I do all week.  I used to go to the supermarket almost daily.  My wife and I try to buy what we need, and not keep our refrigerator fully stocked (during normal times). It reduces waste.  Now, we keep fully stocked and I literally go to the supermarket once a week.  I'm there when Ralphs opens at 6am and then on to Whole Food for their opening at 7am.  The inner stress is not insignificant, as I wear my N-95 mask and try to stay out of the way of others in the market.

I try to make sure that I'm moving in one direction, and avoiding aisles with other people.  It's scary, although I'm not sure it really needs to be all that frightening.  I've got my mask on and I'm not staying in close contact with anyone during my trip.  Still, being in an inclosed market, being in any inclosed space, concerns me these days.  In some regards, I shouldn't be that worried.  As a society, people are far more cognizant of transmitting a virus today than they were three months ago.  While this virus is insidious, I know that good hand hygiene, wearing of masks and physical distancing, makes a significant difference.  Our community has been left relatively unscathed.  Still, I guess that I don't feel that I'm ready to get this virus, nor do I want to pass it on to any of my family.  And so, the trips to the supermarket will continue to be terrifying.

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