SEATTLE — The “to do or not to do” dilemma is something we’ve all dealt with since the coronavirus pandemic upended our lives in early March. In some ways, things were easier when we were under a full stay-home order. Don’t see your friends or family, minimize grocery store trips better yet, get your groceries delivered! Get everything delivered. But not too much. Think of the warehouse workers! Don’t order anything that feels unnecessary. Don’t drive anywhere. Don’t leave your house! Wash your hands. Maintain an exhausting amount of hypervigilance to everything at all times!
Now, the end of summer is almost here, and we’re more than six months into the pandemic. Decision-making still feels exhausting. And we’re all going a little stir-crazy. As states started to reopen in June, it seemed as if everyone I knew began testing boundaries, even with case counts continuing to rise and many states reporting record numbers daily.
The word “essential” kept being thrown around as a qualifier by which people made decisions even though not even state governments can define what “essential” truly means in every case. For some, a haircut, a pedicure, or a new tattoo felt “essential.” For others, it was a dental cleaning. For me, it was a 1,500-mile road trip to visit my parents near Fargo, North Dakota.
I did not arrive at this decision lightly. In fact, I was deeply, deeply conflicted about this road trip and it wasn’t just because of the potential difficulty that comes with having a toddler in a car for more than 23 hours of drive time.