Opening up gradually..

I’ve been in a dilemma lately. We, officially the ‘work from home nerds,’ have stuck to our rooms for most of the time since 2020. Some might have planned a holiday during the two Covid peaks; others were deprived of this too.

For the most part, I belonged to the latter category, except for a day or two that I managed to meet some friends. But nothing after April 2021. I know this is a drastic difference of routine from the pre- Covid era and could be frustrating. Now, one of my friends is bent upon taking a break and wants me to accompany her. Though I’ve already talked her out of her fabulous trip plan, she is still stuck on visiting a fancy place for dinner in Chandigarh. I’ve been avoiding her since..

All this has created a mess in my head. On the one hand, where it doesn’t feel good to shun her, I have a cloud of thoughts haunting me on the other side. Is it too soon to start roaming around? Nothing is gonna happen; when others are going, why can’t you? But IMA recently warned us about an upcoming third wave? So what, it is impending, not yet here? What if the restaurant we visit is not hygienic and disinfected properly? And it continues..

These fears seem unreasonable to some extent but cannot be entirely ignored considering what our country has come through and what still hovers us. It is not my contracting the disease that really perturbs me. The infection that I may carry along is the real botheration. A day’s fun could become a spreader of the virus for my family and others (who are taking ample precautions and avoiding outside food).

I know she’ll finally trick me into going to the eatery of her choice; I just hope it is safe!