Election Day & COVID Thoughts

Election Day & COVID

I am glad I started virtual therapy a few weeks ago with TalkSpace. I knew my anxiety would be leveling up as Election Day got closer.

I want all of this to be over. The election, COVID-19 (which unfortunately won’t go away after the election), racial inequality. All of it.

Even when the election is over, I expect there will some civil unrest, no matter who wins.

When COVID gets under control, I don’t think anyone’s life will return back to whatever “normal” was for them pre-COVID. I know mine won’t.

Politics & Health

I won’t see a lot of people the same way I did before COVID. 

I know many people who decided to side with politics over the health and safety of themselves and others. Many people that went out to bars, restaurants, and anywhere else they could, without a mask.

I witnessed someone I love and care for make fun of myself and others for wearing masks in some of rare, distanced, group settings I attended. I thought that person was better than that. I will never see that person the same again.

I got into Facebook and social media arguments with friends and family members over the idea that mask wearing is against our “freedoms” or that masks are unhealthy.

I am learning who I will spend time with and support in the future.

Looking back, I’ve been having to look passed a lot of things these people said or did in order to continue being friends with them.

I can’t look passed those things. Not anymore.

Zumba at the YMCA

When things get back to a state where I can feel comfortable going to a gym for Zumba or other exercise classes, I don’t think I will be returning to the YMCA I used to go to.

It’s really a shame that I don’t feel comfortable going back there, but I don’t like how they have handled the pandemic.  They state that they require masks on everyone indoors, but they don’t. 

The 2 times I went inside my usual Y since the pandemic, lots of people were maskless. I took my mask off to Zumba, but I felt horrible about it the whole time. The class was limited capacity, but still…

The second time I went inside was when I returned to the Y thinking that the Zumba class was going to be outdoors. Due to weather (storm threat) the class was moved inside at the last minute. Everyone kept their masks on, so I felt okay-ish about it at first). 

But then, one of the Y staff members came in and stated that while the Y does encourage mask wearing, if no one in the room had a medical condition, we could take them off. 

I don’t think it’s legal to ask about medical conditions in a public setting like that…

A decent amount of people took their masks off. I kept mine on. I soldiered through about 3 songs with my mask on and decided I was too uncomfortable and left.

I continued to do outdoor Zumba, both at the Y and in a friend’s driveway, but I haven’t been inside that building since. 

Probably closer than we should have been

Since Y classes have all moved inside (despite record high positive COVID cases in the area), I put my membership on hold. Like I said, I may very well not return.

Community & Exercise

It makes me sad to think of giving up the community of people and the exercise classes I used to enjoy. But, the way the Y and many of my friends that are a part of that community have responded to the pandemic in a way that I don’t agree with. 

In good news, I think I have found a new gym in the area that I might join. I did a little research on them and asked other members of my COVID-Safe Community Facebook group if the other gym was offering online classes and requiring masks inside. They do both. So, points for them on those fronts!

Hopefully, I will be able to find a new community of friends and some new exercise classes to get into!

EDIT

As I was editing this to publish, I got a group message from my current community of Zumba friends, S, who is one of our instructors. She is retiring from being a Zumba instructor next Wednesday. She was the only reason I would even consider continuing my Y membership.

So, I guess that is that.

That makes things all the more final.

And gives me even more reason to find another gym and community.