New Normal

Saturday, December 18, 2021 (December’s fullest moon [“Cold Moon”] rises tonight.)

I went to a restaurant for dinner, with friends. Being with them was enjoyable. The restaurant experience worried me.

In the first place, the well-known venue didn’t require mask-wearing. In the second, although it pleased that an elderly woman was our waiter (A retiree had landed a job, hooray!), she frightened me by working without gloves. Her fingers were everywhere, on water glasses and plates, even touching foods.

Earlier that day, my Jeep for an hour had drifted with a long line of cars toward a drive-through Covid booster setup. That evening’s waitress, with bare hands carelessly handling glasses and plates of food, concerned me. My friends, as far as I could tell, didn’t share my discomfort. Our dining event had been important to them. Otherwise, I’d have walked out.

Hopefully, that episode won’t spread Covid. Hopefully, my immunity is adequate to survive such surprising encounters.

Probably, like that waitress, my having landed a job directly results from problems in today’s environment. Lots of people unwilling to return to work are leaving vacancies for Seniors wishing employment. I’m happy to be working again and among the public.

I’ve worked as a food handler. The law for handling requires specific and well-defined cleanliness. A wait person not wearing gloves, should at least handle plates and glasses in a manner unoffensive to diners.

Am I too picky? Have I too much fear of Corona Virus and its variations?

Thinking back to my food handling days, I recall some coworkers who focused more on productivity than on cleanliness. I never touched a single output from their efforts. Yet, “those sloppies” were popular, and many customers consumed foods prepared by them.

Since the beginning of pandemic, I’ve avoided public eateries.

As a student of history, and a modern learner, I’m aware of deplorable conditions negatively affecting all of Earth. Consider the reduced numbers of wild birds and honeybees, and melting ancient giant glaciers causing ocean levels to rise. Plastics, discarded and non-recyclable are everywhere. The Corona Virus and its mutations have taken tolls, world-wide, on livability, product availability, and inflation. Masks, vaccinations, and booster shots aren’t jokes.

If there’s a “next time” that I’m invited to dine in a restaurant, I’ll decline. Or depending on who’s asking, opt for home-cooing.

Dear Friends: These days much is different, and many refuse to be on board. Diana