Weighing the Risks: The Pandemic Dilemma

As of late, I feel so much pressure to do the “right” thing with regards to dealing with COVID-19. In fact, I’ve had trouble sleeping because of it. Perhaps there is no such thing as the “right” thing but rather what works best for each of us and our families. My biggest concern was once setting a good example for those in the cystic fibrosis community but I’ve learned that I can’t be concerned with how I’m perceived and just make sound decisions that work for me and my family and make sure that any risk we take does not put other people in harm’s way.

With regards to COVID-19, we each have to weigh the risks and make decisions based on those risks. I read recently about one hairstylist in Missouri who came to work with symptoms and likely infected another coworker and now over a hundred people have been exposed. I also read about a pool party in Arkansas and a graduation party in Georgia where people were exposed and contracted COVID-19. This is how the virus spreads. These are not the type of risks we plan on taking.

My family and I take more minimal risks. For example, we picked up sushi curbside the other day. You can’t heat sushi and it is the only food that we have not heated when we brought it home. Is there risk? Yes. Is it substantial? No. We did a lot of research before making that decision. We also had a friend cut our hair outside while both she and each of us wore masks. Is there a risk? Yes. Is it substantial? No. It’s up to each of us to make that decision by educating ourselves on the risks and the rewards. We have had friends over and friends of our kids. Those encounters have been outside and six to ten feet apart. Again, the risk is minimal but there is some risk. Then there are rewards. My son’s favorite food is sushi and we are helping our favorite sushi restaurant stay in business. Getting a lot of our hair chopped off has helped me and my family feel a little refreshed. And as far as seeing friends and family from a safe distance, it keeps us feeling human and helps to strengthen those relationships. It also benefits our children immensely.

My family and I are pretty strict but there are families who are stricter than us and those who are less. That’s to be expected. We have to decide what is important to us and whether we can take a few calculated risks to do them. We also have to make sure to think of others with regards to those risks. It’s a lot of pressure because I’m a huge advocate for following the CDC guidelines. Even some of our friends have told us that our decisions help them to make decisions because we are a high-risk family.
I ask people not to use us as the litmus test. Please make your decision based on what works best for you and your family and what you believe minimizes risk to you and everyone else.

Andrea has taught me not to judge others for their decisions as I have no idea what I would do in their shoes. She is right. All I can ask people is to make sure that they are doing what benefits their families and at the same time minimizes risk for others when they make their choices during the pandemic age.

We have to be very careful in this day and age not to judge our peers however we have to be even more careful when it comes to weighing our risks.

Live your dreams and love your life.

Best Wishes,

Andy