October is Transition Time

 

 

October, earning its position in the fall season, is a month of transition.  Temperatures are cooler.   Daylight is notably shorter at both ends.  Change is in the air!

  AUTUMNAL TRANSITIONS 

• Running and other morning outdoor activities:  It's too chilly to go out summer-early, but not cold enough to get out winter running gear.  I've found going out an hour later is about right to stay in shorts and a t-shirt.  The days have still been very warm; much later than that is too hot.
  

• The past several years we've taken a Fall Color Vacation out of state. That's not in the cards this year.  Friends are on theirs right now, with intention and preparation for camping.  They've found camping very cold some nights and have resorted to staying in motels or bnb's some nights.  There's an element of the unknown when you haven't booked ahead.  Cleaning policies, including all bedding, how long since someone last stayed there, are any agencies using the facility for quarantining, etc.  Minimally it would require a thorough wipe down of....everything?  Yeah, thinking the fun factor just isn't there.  

• However, we DO plan a Fall Color Staycation.  I've been keeping an eye on the Flagstaff Leaf-O-Meter and we're starting to get some change.  Possible drives: certain streets in Flagstaff itself,  Snowbowl Road, Lockett Meadow, US180, Hart Prairie Road.  Possible hikes:  AZT on the Peaks, Lockett Meadow.  A little later in the season we can catch Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona if we like.

• Several years ago I tried an on-line Mindfulness event.  I found it helpful and interesting.  It put me on a notification list for such events, and since then I've tried a Yoga Challenge and a Compassion Challenge.   Both of those were for longish daily time periods for so many days that I chose not to complete them.  Coincidentally, a Meditation Challenge is being offered this month by the host that got me started and my personal fave, Melli O'Brien. It starts in a couple of days and is for only 7 days.  I'm in. 
  

  

COVID-19 TRANSITIONS

When Covid-19 first started, I experienced the same fear we all did.  The fear of the disease and its unknown trajectory.  The fear based on understanding what the word PANDEMIC truly means.  I'd watch Andrew Cuomo's daily briefings in fear and horror, wondering when my turn would come.  Being a rule-bound personality though, when we got the stay-at-home orders my fear was significantly relieved by having something to do.  STAY HOME.  Since then, fear has not been my motivation for staying home.  Because I have the privilege of being able to do so, I can practice one of my core values: doing something for the greater good. Many people don't have the option to stay home.  I do, and can do so pretty much indefinitely.  

However, just like Dr. Fauci didn't flip-flop on mask wearing but instead changed his recommendation as he gained information, I haven't flip-flopped on my decision to break my pretty strict stay-at-home rule.  Information has changed.  Here's my thinking. 

Coconino County is firmly in the "moderate" category of community transmission for Covid-19.  The criteria for "moderate" transmission is 10-100 cases.  Being a university town, the chances of us dropping to the  "minimal" category with 10 cases or less is non-existent.   The CDC Director recently said a vaccination will not be widely available until the second or third quarter of next year.  Expert William A. Haseltine suggests in an article in Scientific American recently that the more scientists are finding out about just how tricky Covid-19 is, the more an effective vaccine might be even further out than that, with some question if one can be developed at all.   Yep, we're in this for the long haul. 

Given this current but still developing information,  I've made a considered list of ways to start moving about based on risk. 

High Risk:  It is now known that the highest risk situations are indoors with numerous unmasked people gathered without social distancing. 

• In the spirit of doing something for the greater good,  Ron and I tried a volunteer event last Thursday.   The local food bank has a main warehouse that has food and supplies of all sorts for those who need them.  This summer they've set up  Mobile Food Pantries.  They pop up every couple of weeks in places more convenient for residents.  They're restricted to food only.  Last month they started one at the local fire station, so Ron and I decided to lend a hand with distribution.  Since I've been staying at home so much, it was uncomfortable out of hand.  When we walked up, none of the five volunteers already there, including one of the fire department personnel, were masked.  I was ready to turn around and go home, but Ron decided to say something, which was that he was surprised no one had on masks. All masks came on and stayed on.  In terms of risk, I'll call this a Low-High Risk activity. It was outdoors; it was a low number of people who ended up being masked; we practiced social distancing with each other; people who came for food stayed in their vehicles. 
  

• I went to the dental hygienist for a dental cleaning.  Though the dental hygienist had best practices for her protection and mine, this activity was indoors and by necessity we were in close proximity.  Best practices seem to be good enough, as she said there have been no incidents of positive testing.  I'll call this one a Low-High Risk, with health benefits.
  

Medium Risk:  As long as you pick your times, stores can be medium risk. 

• I've been making and consuming bone broth for gut health since a series of sessions with a nutritionist many years ago.  The last batch used up all the bones I had in my freezer.   I called Whole Foods to make sure they had their hormone-free bones available.  They did.  I was in the store by 7:40 am and out by 7:45 am, well supplied.  I'll call this Low-Medium Risk, with health benefits.
  

• Ron and I will be going to Walgreens for our flu shots in a couple of days. We'll go early, making it Low-Medium Risk with health benefits. 
  

Low Risk: Curbside would be just above stay-at-home for risk.

• I'm going to take a couple of boxes of books to Bookman's for trade credit using their curbside service.  If they're still recycling books, I'll have them take care of the ones they don't want in that way.

• Before Covid-19, part of my reading plan was to check out one newer book per month from the public library (because I'm WAAAAY to cheap to buy new books!).  They have curbside service, and I'll try that to re-start my one-new-book-a-month plan.
  

 There's no question some over-thinking is involved here.  You're not surprised, are you????

                                        "The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings."

                                                                                                                   --- Kakuzo Okakura