I’ve had it with Covid 19. This has been going on for nearly two years now. I can recall at the tail end of 2019 reading an obscure article about a pneumonia in China that was not getting better with antibiotics. I took notice because my father had warned me every time I was prescribed an antibiotic to “be sure to take it all because if you don’t it won’t work anymore and society will fall apart.”

My dad was not an alarmist. He was smart, a scientist, stable. Goings on in the world did not shake him. Not using a coaster – that shook him to his core – but wars, civil unrest, nuclear destruction – none of that fazed him. As a doctor, he knew that we were running out of effective antibiotics and one day they wouldn’t work anymore and then we’d be in big trouble. He was also pissed off that we stopped vaccinating for smallpox because he knew that a vial of it would end up in the wrong hands* and again we would be left unprepared for the carnage coming our way.

Needless to say, I always took all of my prescribed antibiotics.

My father died 15 years ago, but I often wonder how he would have handled Covid. I suspect he would handle it the same way my mother, brother and I have been – with humor, wonder and a whole lot of WTF?

Like the rest of us, he would wear a mask because it was mandated. He would wear it if asked because he was a gentleman and had been raised to put his comfort aside in favor of those around him. He would go along to get along – at least in the beginning – but he knew that wearing them was only a panacea.

He would go along to get along – at least in the beginning – until he couldn’t anymore. He still would have been polite in front of strangers, but at home he’d be honest. He’d also be furious that doctors and scientists and those in charge didn’t put any effort into encouraging the population to get healthy.

We now know that 40% of people who died from Covid had diabetes. Those with untreated diabetes were sicker, had more complications and died more frequently than those with treated diabetes. Those with low blood sugar levels had less severe Covid 19 complications and shorter hospital stays.

I wish he were here to discuss all this nonsense that makes the rounds as “science” from politicians and the media. Omicron has people terrified all over again – or in most cases just prolongs the fear most who are fearful experience – but why? According to all sources while it is much more transmissible, there has been only one death globally (as of this writing) and considerably fewer hospitalizations due to Omicron. Delta is still the larger threat, but even that is waning. I know this because I drive by a drive-thru rapid testing site every day and 30 days ago it was backed up and full with maybe 200 vehicles waiting to be tested at any given time of day. Now there’s a handful of cars in the lot and many of them are staff.

Even with reports of omicron being less severe/dangerous the media is still hyping it up with headlines about whether or not it’s safe to travel, have holiday dinner with family, attend a holiday party – and the list goes on and on, and on and on…

I get it, if it bleeds it leads, but this is getting ridiculous.

I’d slam down my fist and insist I’m not going to play anymore, but Covid never scared me. I learned a long time ago – 6th grade Greek mythology class – when it comes my time to go, there’s little I can do to change it. Trying to outsmart the oracle is foolish and a waste of time – as anyone who has ready Shakespeare knows. That doesn’t mean I won’t do things to better my chances – I am fully vaccinated, and I bought a Peloton – it also means I want to keep my immune system humming along. That means it’s good to be exposed to people, germs, viruses.

Now I know there are a lot of you reading this (skimming it, because no one reads the whole thing anymore) who disagree with me. That’s fine, you don’t have to agree with me. Keep wearing your mask in your car and stop going out in public, on planes, to the gym, to the mall, library, grocery store etc, etc. Stop hugging people, stop shaking hands, wash your hands until they are red and bleeding (which is a fine way to get an infection, especially if your immune system isn’t used to mustering a fight against simple germs that you’d come across if you were doing all those things). You do you, I’ll do me. But what a horrible place that is to live.

I grew up with a ton of anxiety – I’d go into the why of it, but I’m already at 834 words and it would take that many to explain where my anxiety came from. It got worse when I had kids because – OMG you have to keep them alive and that seems so easy on paper but in real life shit happens and you can’t keep them safe from the stupid things they do to themselves 24/7/365/18. Now that they are grown and responsible for their stupidity, I have very little anxiety.

It’s wonderful.

Where was I going with that???

Oh yes, I had a lot of anxiety as a kid and young adult. I was afraid of things I thought I could control, but not so much things I could not control. This is why I am not afraid to fly and why Covid doesn’t scare me. I have to let go and let God (if I were religious), and it’s pretty easy to do when you know you can’t do a damn thing about it. Sure, I could choose not to fly, but I love to travel so it is the risk I take to have a life that is joyous. If the plane crashes, at least I was pursuing something I love. Same goes for Covid, I will continue to hug, shake hands, socialize, shop, go out and hang out – without a mask unless they make wear one (I’m not a dick), because what kind of life is it to stay locked inside, alone with nothing but cable news and social media feeding my fears?

*turns out there was no smallpox in the vials marked “smallpox”.