Member-only story
As many of you reading this can probably attest, it is hard to keep up with time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and my idea of writing this piece in early September, somehow only came to fruition two months later. I hope the message still resonates, as we get ready to enter what some experts call the winter lockdown phase of the virus, where concerns surround the spike of COVID-19 cases in some states, mixed with the arrival of the flu season. I initially started writing this from 39,000 feet above the clouds after spending a week away from my home in Atlanta, Georgia on my annual birthday vacation in late August in Washington State. In July I wasn’t sure the trip was going to happen. Cases of COVID-19 were rising in Georgia and across the country, matching masks to our outfits had become the dreaded reality of our lives, and to make matters worse, I started to know more and more people who’d been diagnosed with COVID-19, and in some cases, some had even passed away from the virus.
I initially planned to visit the New England area, but with so many restrictions for travelers, I had to pivot locations and ended up selecting Washington for its mandatory mask mandate, and selected Bainbridge Island, in Kitsap County as home base since it was a smaller town that I felt had more control on its cases.
I thought long and hard about the trip, whether I should still take it, would I get sick, how I would protect myself, and the list goes on and on. Then I had a moment where I realized how the last six months had left me feeling exhausted. I currently work at an essential organization, helping to provide supportive services during the pandemic all while dealing with the upcoming election, racial unrest, inequality and the spotlight on the murders of Black men and women. The burden of it all honestly broke my spirit in ways I never imagined. I decided the best thing I could do for myself would be to take the break. Because I’m probably the most responsible person I know, I committed myself to doing everything I could to protect myself — because who wants to get sick (or get someone else sick) while on vacation?
I chose an airline where they were limiting the number of passengers (thanks, Southwest) and one that practices social distancing while boarding. I was pleasantly surprised at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where those in the airport were committed to wearing masks, and weren’t all on top…
