As the world cautiously tiptoes into the next stage of reopening, The Big Guy and I were watching a new episode of New Amsterdam entitled "Safe Enough." I have a love/hate feeling for the show - I like Max Goodwin and his "how can I help?" attitude. The problem I find myself dealing with is my own pessimism in that there aren't enough of those types of people in the world today. For those of you who watch, they deal with real-world problems, cutting edge, from the headlines. When I choose to be entertained, I prefer to forget about the issues we're facing on a daily basis. The theme that struck me to write this post was "will we ever feel safe again?"
Over the course of the past year, we've had to deal with a lot. Adapt to a lot. And here we are adapting again. Easter Sunday is approaching, and for the second year in a row, I'm going to miss the trumpets and the celebratory music and the joy of sharing this most important Christian holiday. Yes, I could try to make reservations at church, but it still requires singing and aspirating and I'm not vaccinated yet.
What else has changed? Last week I went to the ER. First, I felt perfectly safe going. My biggest hesitation, which is true even without a pandemic, is the time you have to dedicate when you go. I waited five days before I finally decided I wasn't getting any better and when I called my doctor, he told me to go and "I'll follow up with you later." Now I REALLY had to go because otherwise the doctor would be asking me why I didn't. Long story short, I spent six hours there and when all was said and done, they let me go home with a shrug of the shoulders. Which brings me to...
Have you ever felt sick, and by the time you finally went to the doctor, you were feeling better? Yep. That happens a lot, and I was actually pretty happy that this was NOT the case when I went to the ER. The symptoms that sent me were present and active. The good news, they didn't find anything to worry about. In fact, the resident in charge asked me if maybe I was claustrophobic and wearing a mask might have brought on my symptoms. (No. I'm not claustrophobic, and I don't mind wearing a mask and doing my part.) The doctors and nurses all took good care of me, were friendly, and it was a positive experience overall (something I should probably write as a Yelp review - hospitals rarely get good reviews). The downside was that the warm blanket they gave me while I was waiting had melted electrodes on it. In two different places.
I am sympathetic to front line workers (THANK YOU for all you do!), and I know how crazy this last year has been, especially in hospitals. Things fall through the cracks. In a rush to help the legion number of people who pass through every day, I can understand how gathering sticky electrodes might have been missed, how those electrodes might have gone through the sterilization process and melted to the blanket. Was I put off by the experience? Yah, sure, you betcha. But if that was the only downside to my visit, I'm pretty sure those gross melted electrodes were sterilized! As their census returns to more manageable numbers, I expect those types of things will be addressed.
Back to New Amsterdam. The theme was "is it safe?" The answer? "No. But it's safe enough." Eventually, we will all return to old routines and habits - hopefully finding new and better options.
When I watch TV (very little), it's to escape reality with a good story and compelling characters. Or, total escape, which means I've been watching a LOT of cooking shows over the last year. Not sure I'll try "New Amsterdam."
ReplyDeleteGlad you're all right. When my mom's had to go to the ER and hospital, I've been impressed with the care she gets. Three cheers for these front line workers.
Congrats (again) on the new release.
Thanks, Terry. And New Amsterdam is a good show with compelling characters.
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