I know that it has multiple meanings, but I cannot hear the word, “strain” without thinking about a happy or angry dog barking loudly from the very end of a stretched chain. Our dog is 85 pounds and is very excitable if he sees someone approaching his house when he’s tied to it. No matter what else he has wrapped it around, he will bounce and run as far as his chain will allow if we come out toward him while he’s hooked up to it.
Wolves are just happy puppies at heart, right? Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I can see everyone feeling exactly like that as states reopen and people (hopefully cautiously) emerge from this state of isolation and fear. There are those who flock to the bars and are so grateful for human interaction that they throw caution completely out the window on the drive there. They’re the excited chain-pullers.
I also see people claiming that their constitutional rights are being infringed and they don’t have to listen to the restrictions that the government is placing on them. Those would be the ones that are growling and spitting, ready to attack as soon as that chain breaks.
I can’t say that I’ll be out at the bars any time soon. I know that it is not illegal, but I also know that it is dangerous to everyone I love, not just my parents, in-laws, and grandparents who are all in at-risk demographics. I can’t think about venturing out where people are without thinking about the long-term effects some young adults have had who have contracted the virus, or the distressing numbers of younger medical staff who have died, or the disturbing images of children who will suffer heart problems for their entire lives.
This situation gets me thinking about the parable of the two wolves (which is not apparently a Native American story, but created by a minister in 1978… maybe) since there are two desires within me. The story is about two wolves within each of us that are pulling in different directions – one toward empathy and one toward anger, I believe – and the takeaway is that the one who wins is the one you feed. My two wolves would be extroverted and introverted.
I want to go out and see friends and enjoy life and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and life. My mother has said a few times that the first people that you should make plans with are the ones that you’ve been wanting to hug. But I also want to just stay home, safe, until there are NO cases. I don’t want to risk even the slightest idea that I could get someone sick. I’m not as afraid that I would get sick, because even though it sounds miserable, the likelihood that I would survive it is pretty high, complications or lasting health problems aside. I am afraid of being sick and passing it on to other people, people more likely to die.
It’s almost safe to come out. Maybe. Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com
So the one that wins is the one I need at the moment. Do I need the bravery of emerging in order to go to the grocery store (where people too often don’t wear masks or follow the suggested direction arrows)? Am I leaving my home to take care of essential business? Or am I finding new ways to make old dinners because I don’t have a few of the ingredients? Am I digging through my stash instead of ordering the exact right color of yarn for a project?
We have at least two directions we can take this and neither extreme is going to help us over the long run. Please don’t let the relief of opening up cause us to forget who we’ve been being cautious for over the last couple of months. If we all forget our COVID Manners, this whole thing would be for nothing and we’ll likely be back at this for several more months.
But holing up in your house long-term isn’t going to be healthy for anyone, either. We’ve got to carefully re-emerge and support our local stores, restaurants, and businesses so we can keep the community that we have through all of this. There are a lot of things stressing people out these days, and paying the bills is one of the largest.
There is a middle-ground, and we can cautiously let out the lead on each wolf as we need it until the leashes aren’t needed any longer. Don’t let them strain at the leads until they break, but don’t hold them too tight, either.
And please, let’s not go with ‘Strainer‘ – the sieve effect, when everyone goes overboard running in all directions and gets stuff everywhere.
Massive free Articulation 
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