After much thought and discussion, we've decided that it's time to expand our "bubble" to accommodate our parents and my brother-in-law. We've all been strictly isolating for many weeks, and we've come to a point where we're all comfortable with sharing space again.
It comes with continued sacrifices though, to make sure we're not exposing anyone to unnecessary risks. While some are now relaxing their restrictions around going to stores and getting together, we've decided to maintain our quarantine status to make this bubble expanding venture as safe as it can be.
To that end, I made the decision to cancel a get together I had been planning to attend on Friday night. It was going to be my first social outing in 80+ days, with a group of people I have missed terribly. I could have gone and done my best to distance myself, and I went back and forth about it for a while. But I realized that if I went, then I would have to be okay with everyone else in our bubble making the same decision, and it wouldn't be long before the whole thing broke down. So I stayed home, knowing that fun was being had just across the street, and I felt a bit sorry for myself.
What made me feel better though, was the plan for Saturday. We were going to my parents' house for dinner and hugs and no social distancing whatsoever for the first time in forever. We were all very excited. All day the girls kept asking when it would be time to go.
Finally, the time came. The girls had even negotiated a sleepover and had packed their own bags full of all kinds of fun. We were just getting into the car when my husband got a text.
His office assistant, the only person he has been in contact with at work every day, was feeling ill and was going in to get tested. We all just stood there in the driveway and stared at each other. We tried making excuses. "She doesn't have classic symptoms. It's probably not Covid." "There's probably a latent period before anyone she infected would be contagious." "We could just try to keep our distance but still visit."
But in the end we all knew that we should just stay home. We called my parents. They agreed that it was the right decision. But it didn't feel good.
So much anticipation. So much excitement. And poof. Cue major bummer vibe.
What had been a pretty great day was now a total bust. We went inside and sat around and moped. Eventually, E had a great idea and made strawberry Nutella milkshakes, which helped a bit. We watched a movie and ate pasta and brownies, which helped a bit too.
But what came out of the disappointment was the conviction that all of our precautions are worth it. If I had gone to the party on Friday, I would now have five new families to worry about spreading the virus to. If we had gone to my parents' house before we got that text, I would have felt awful.
We can't eliminate all of the risk, but this reminder of the importance of what we're doing takes away a bit of the sting of missing out.
Also, gifts like these from my Dog Mom friends:
Oh no! I hate when hopes are dashed but love the idea of Strawberry Nutella milkshakes!
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