{"id":1069,"date":"2020-08-05T13:10:13","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T13:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1069"},"modified":"2020-08-05T13:10:13","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T13:10:13","slug":"august-5-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1069","title":{"rendered":"August 5, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why you are not welcome in my home<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a pretty harsh statement.\u00a0 I admit that.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also a true statement.\u00a0 I really don\u2019t want any visitors right now.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong.\u00a0 I am not the next Ted Kaczynski (the \u2018Unabomber\u2019) nor am I antisocial.\u00a0 I like people \u2013 let me qualify that \u2013 I like most people.\u00a0 I enjoy entertaining and having engaging conversations with all kinds of different people.\u00a0 So why aren\u2019t you welcome in my house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess the short version is that I simply don\u2019t trust you based upon what I witness on a daily basis.\u00a0 I really hate to say that but it\u2019s true.\u00a0 \u00a0There is after all a pandemic going on (currently approaching 160,000 American fatalities) and the fact is that my life is potentially in your hands.\u00a0 \u00a0Some of you say that you are following CDC guidelines and others of you obviously continue to think this is all still a big hoax. \u00a0But based upon what I see when driving around and what is posted on social media, I\u2019m not convinced that I am willing to take the risk to put my life in your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I go to Home Depot because I need supplies for all of the remodeling I\u2019m doing around my house.\u00a0 ( And yes I\u2019m masked and well-armed with hand sanitizer) Although things have improved and most people are wearing masks, there are still the ones who have not figured out that the nasal passages are just as connected to the lungs as the mouth, so wearing a mask solely over your mouth when your nose is exposed is a pointless exercise.\u00a0 I try to stay away from those people.\u00a0 They either flunked biology or are obviously not taking this seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sometimes drive down main street on my way home and see people crowded around the ice cream stores or various other venues and while some may be masked, some are not and there certainly isn\u2019t any social distancing taking place.\u00a0 \u00a0I can get my ice cream at the store \u2013 thank you very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I talked to my daughter a couple of nights who was very frustrated.\u00a0 She and her mom are back in New York and taking this seriously, but she was frustrated by what she was seeing on social media with some of her friends and family.\u00a0 They all espouse the use of masks and the need to take this seriously and yet they post pictures of themselves on social media out with their friends, no masks in sight and no social distancing going on.\u00a0 \u00a0Jordan is a pre-med student.\u00a0 She takes this seriously and it frustrates the hell out of her.\u00a0 I can only encourage her to continue to do the right thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s almost as if people seem to think that if you\u2019re with your friends or family that it\u2019s an automatic \u2018safe zone.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure that the virus really understands that concept.\u00a0 It\u2019s an interesting mindset.\u00a0 On a battlefield, the lives of everyone around you depend upon your actions.\u00a0 I am having a very difficult time understanding why this is any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If people were in a firefight and real bullets were flying, I\u2019m sure everyone would take the appropriate precautions \u2013 body armor, stay low to the ground, take cover when possible, etc. \u2013 but I doubt seriously people would feel safe to just standup and strip off their body armor if they were joined by their buddies on the battlefield.\u00a0 Oh, \u2018we\u2019re friends, so no bullets can get us now\u2019.\u00a0 Everyone would probably agree that is an absurd concept.\u00a0 And while the battle we\u2019re in doesn\u2019t involve bullets per se, it does involve microscopic projectiles hell bent on wreaking havoc on anyone they can infect.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some things you can control and some things you can\u2019t. \u00a0I know that I can pretty much control who comes into my house and who I associate with and when.\u00a0 \u00a0So, for the foreseeable future, I won\u2019t be accepting any company in my house nor will I be doing any socializing elsewhere.\u00a0\u00a0I go to the grocery because I need to eat. I go to Home Depot because I am working on my house. I don\u2019t go to restaurants or anywhere where there are large concentrations of people. Is that unfortunate \u2013 yes!\u00a0 Is it manageable \u2013 yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am fortunate in that I am not one of those people who must be around people.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind being by myself.\u00a0 I have lots of books to read, projects to do, miles to log on my bicycle, and thinking about trips I may take when this is all over.\u00a0 \u00a0My only daughter is currently in New York and I have no grandkids so I understand that my situation is somewhat unique for someone my age.\u00a0 That said, this disease is extremely contagious, is totally non-discriminatory, and really doesn\u2019t care if you\u2019re a friend, relative or foe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure there are those that think I\u2019m being paranoid but I prefer to think of it as being cautious and prudent. \u00a0I also view it as simply trying to do my small part to get this monster under control. \u00a0I heard someone once say, \u201cWe all have to die sometime, but I am going to do everything in my power to avoid dying by \u2018stupid\u2019\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The irony is that the more I stay away from everyone else, the safer everyone else is.\u00a0 If they get the virus, they won\u2019t be getting it from me.\u00a0 I fully understand that there is still a chance I may get the coronavirus.\u00a0 Perhaps I lingered too long at Home Depot or the grocery store.\u00a0 Who knows?\u00a0 It\u2019s possible.\u00a0 But I understand math and science and I understand the more I can stack the odds in my favor, the higher the probability that I\u2019ll be around to see Jordan graduate, get married, have kids, etc.\u00a0 And the more precautions I take, the safer everyone around me is as well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, until this is over or at least contained, you are not welcome in my house nor will I be visiting you.\u00a0 No hard feelings.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get together on the other side.\u00a0 I look forward to being able to once again roll out the welcome mat but, for now, it\u2019s rolled up and tucked away in the garage. \u00a0Be safe out there. <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"