I feel revived because this morning I went shopping at the Superstore. What’s so good about that? It’s the first time I’ve gone out for anything other than a doctor’s appointment since early December. Lockdown and an outbreak left me feeling pretty stale. I brought home some intense purple tulips and crunchy pink watermelon. A feast for the eyes and mouth. I also stocked up on some essentials in case we go into lockdown again – soymilk, rolled oats, potato chips. I was shocked by the price and the absence of several products.
I was a little nervous about going out, wondering if it might be too soon because the premier decided as of March 14 wearing masks and social distancing weren’t necessary anymore. After listening – I prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch graphic footage on TV, which is more disturbing – to news coverage of the freedom protest in Ottawa, and the same one here in Fredericton, and hearing reports of how happy everyone was to forget about protocols and throw caution to the wind, I wondered if the character of my city had changed over the course of those three months. But no, it’s still the same, sensible city it has always been. I was very relieved to see pretty much everyone wore masks and stayed 6 feet apart while we lined up and waited to be assigned a cashier.
In February – always the worst month of the winter – I ordered some clothing online out of desperation.
Comments