Texas Proud, But So Hot
I’m refreshed.
Huh? In this heat?
I was fortunate to escape to Santa Fe, where the Wi-Fi is spotty and daily hikes a tonic.
I turned off the TV for a month. Yet no matter what, the news found me: in blogs, and on phone screens when checking in with friends and family. I got a text from my bridge partner telling me about the Veepstakes.
To say we are not molded by the steady drip, drip, drip of news is disingenuous.
My friends who were locals in Santa Fe ranged from frightened to terrified over coronavirus. Several had not left home since February, glued to their televisions.
They have a government that has fed them a steady diet of COVID perils, yet not one of them personally knew anybody who had been infected.
Everyone has to find the balance that works for them.
I, on the other hand, know several Dallasites who have had the virus with various degrees of illness. I’m aware I’ve been lucky not to have fatalities in my circle.
I entered New Mexico with a photo of a negative COVID test for any authorities. Still, no local friends would dine out. That I did with my Texas friends.
Am I an intrepid senior or a fool?
I plead not guilty on both counts.
As a childhood asthmatic, I qualify as having a “pre-existing condition.”
Yet while I take precautions, I do not live afraid. That was easy to feel in the cool air of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, but in returning to scorched Texas, I had seen chatter on the Nextdoor app about crowds at Central Market and patios in Uptown.
Sure enough, the social distancing isn’t practiced as much in Dallas. Why? For one thing, faith is an important element in the buckle of the Bible belt that was not a component much evidenced in New Mexico.
Dallas has a young vibe, and many youths feel immortal and angry at being cheated out of “their time.”
Several seniors are still holing up, yet many adults have COVID fatigue and have relaxed rules with family and friends.
Everyone has to find the balance that works for them. However, Texans are rugged individualists who don’t like to take government dictation.
So I am grateful to be back to a land of people who know how to navigate through the fearfulness of life with resilience, common sense, and grace. (But jiminy it’s hot.)
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