COMING OUT OF COVID?
America’s horizon, shrouded in the dark clouds of the pandemic and Trump’s ignorance, is showing light thanks to the Biden administration’s intelligence. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)
Light where darkness prevailed.
In late-February 2020, I was preparing for a trip to Bloomington, Indiana, to attend a conference. “America’s Role in the World” is produced by Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. There was much anticipation in the weeks leading up to the conference. The featured guest speaker was former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. And every session was stocked with highly credentialed panelists.
You may recall that, around the same time, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, told a cable news audience to prepare for the worst relative to the coronavirus. The date was Tuesday, February 25, 2020. I was watching when Dr. Messonnier laid bare what the U.S. was facing; “not so much a question of if, but rather a question of exactly when” she said about COVID-19 coming to America.
Dr. Messonnier said our lives would change – dramatically – from how we work to how we attend school to how we interact with each other. She bluntly said, “this could be bad.” At the time, still independent from Trump, the CDC was working with businesses, education administrators and the healthcare sector, preparing for community spread that could be “reasonably mild or very severe.” She told her own family they should prepare because their lives could be significantly impacted.
At the same time, while travelling in India of all places, the ignorant one (Trump) said the coronavirus was “a problem that’s going to go away.” Try telling that to anyone in India right now.
Stay or go?
Under the backdrop of Dr. Messonnier’s comments, I began to fret about making the trip to IU. I called to see if the conference would take place. Yes, the conference would proceed.
On the first day of the conference, I saw someone I know. He extended his right hand for the standard handshake. I declined, instead offering up my elbow for an elbow-to-elbow tap. Soon after, I was confronted with moments of truth. First, an elderly gentleman sat down on my right. He handed me his phone, wanting me to read information about keeping safe from the coronavirus. The only reason I touched his phone was because I had ample Purell sanitizer in my pocket.
Then a Chinese student sat next to me. I said to myself, “The auditorium is packed. Why me?” To be clear, what mattered at that moment was that China was where the virus started. If the virus started in Ireland, and an Irishwoman sat next to me, my reaction would have been the same. After chatting with the young man from China for a few minutes, I relaxed. He was smart, respectful, and engaging. He’d been back on campus for several weeks, after spending IU’s winter break in China. So, I chilled out and enjoyed an outstanding conference.
After the journey to the conference, I would not take another trip for six months.
The pandemic persists, as evidenced by Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi donning face masks. (Photo credit MSNBC screenshot)
Ebbs and flows
On Saturday, March 7, 2020, I arrived home from the conference. The next week was prescient.
There was no shame – not even a shred – when I took my own disinfectant wipes, silverware, napkins, and wine glass to a restaurant in Oak Brook, Illinois. My lunch companion barely chuckled, as he also brought disinfectant wipes. Our server, a young woman in her 20s, was amused. It was Friday, March 13.
Two days later, as things were unravelling because of the coronavirus, I had my last dinner with friends. The couple, from Oak Park, Illinois, invited me to their house. We spaced out and avoided physical contact. It was surreal, fun, and nerve-wracking. (The morning of the dinner I texted them saying I would understand if they were not comfortable having me over.)
On July 3, my neighbors had a holiday shindig with a small circle of their family and friends. They invited me. It was hot and the adults sat in the garage while the kids frolicked on a water slide. Fun and nerve-racking. I sat, no mask (forgot to bring one) for the first 30 minutes, only about four feet from the person on either side of me. I decided to go home and get my mask. I returned to the gathering still uncomfortable with my choice to hang out with people I did not know well.
A couple weeks later, a few of the neighborhood fellas gathered on the parkway under a tree and sipped beers on a late-Friday afternoon. Scenes like this played out across the globe as we searched for ways to connect with humans amidst an exploding pandemic.
Close call
An annual tradition was set to take place on Friday, July 31 – golf with a former-McDonald’s colleague. Tee time at 1:30, I loaded golf clubs into my car trunk. My phone rang. It was my golf partner. He had taken a COVID test earlier in the morning because a family member had contracted COVID-19. The test results would not be available until Monday. He was calling to cancel our golf outing. I was relieved. And thanked my lucky stars he did the right thing.
After more than a year, finally got my hair hooked up! (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)
Light cometh
Last Saturday concluded the two-week period following my second dose of the vaccine. Yesterday, for the first time since Good Friday, April 10, 2020, I got a haircut by a professional – and my man hooked me up! Everyone who works at the shop has been fully vaccinated. Mask-wearing by employees and customers is mandatory, all the time. And physical spacing is still in vogue at this shop.
Last November, as reported in this space, we travelled by car to Indiana for a “back home” trip to Plainfield, Indianapolis, and Bloomington. It was splendid. Up next is flying to Palm Springs, California this summer. My plan is to hop on an overnight train before fall ends. Heading to see the Chicago White Sox play this Saturday. Going to the Indianapolis 500 next month. Dinners with vaccinated friends will commence soon. Here comes the sun.
President Biden “brung it'“ during his speech to Congress last night. (Photo credit MSNBC screenshot)
We can see clearly now
The Biden administration is doing a stellar job fighting off the pandemic. President Biden demonstrates empathy and awareness by providing financial relief to Americans and businesses besieged by the pandemic. His infrastructure plan is spot on, despite petty grumbling from the other side.
Backed up by Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Biden delivered a powerful speech to Congress last night. Now, what needs to happen is folks who are struggling – for example, in West Virginia – should stop blaming folks who are struggling on the West Side of Chicago, and vice versa.
America’s real problem was plainly evident last night. When Biden spoke about cutting child poverty in half the Republican side of the aisle sat silent. GOPers are unable/unwilling to support less child poverty!
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) represents the insidious disease that is killing the American dream. Greed. There are “McConnell’s” at the state and local level as well. The sooner we rid ourselves of the stench of greedy Republicans, the better our chances of fixing America.
GOP minstrel show. Clockwise starting Top L: Kanye West. Diamond & Silk. Tim Scott. Ben Carson. Can Republicans find a more embarrassing collection to foist on Black voters? (Photo credit Billboard, CNN screenshot, MSNBC screenshot, ABC7 NY screenshot)
Speaking of stench, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) gave an odorous rebuttal to Biden’s speech. Scott wandered aimlessly from one topic to another, often having nothing to do with Biden’s speech. If Scott is the future of the Republican Party, we may soon have a one-party system. He embarrassed himself and threw away a defining moment opportunity. Scott’s lack of focus and blatant lying should disqualify him from being the person whom Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) collaborates with on police reform.
In just 100 days, Biden shifted the trajectory of the pandemic. Americans are getting vaccinated – 143 million have received at least one dose – and the daily new coronavirus case count is down almost 25% over the past few weeks. In the past month, daily deaths are down 27%.
There is no doubt that, if given the chance, Biden will positively impact the lives of Americans in myriad ways.
Related article:
Blacks Who Support Trump. Why? theweeklyopine.com/politics/2018/1/18/blacks-who-support-trump-why
© 2021 Douglas Freeland / The Weekly Opine