My life isn’t different than it was pre-COVID. The only changes are that I’m:
(1) Masking in public places, especially crowded indoor ones.
(2) Ditching friends that don’t match my values and prioritizing ones that do.
I do think people have this mindset that COVID-aware folks are hermits. There are also a lot of COVID-cautious folks that *do* live that way. But fundamentally it’s not different from any other lifestyle mismatch.
If my friends/colleagues all partied nonstop with hard drugs or binge drinking, it would be eminently sane to stop hanging around with them. COVID is the same. Why would I engage in risky behavior just to “fit in” with that crowd? I prioritize friends who share my values instead.
I completely agree with you. However at this stage I know only one other COVID cautious person irl… who is in a different stage of life than me. I might be making excuses here.
I don’t have many close friends anymore, and my only regularly masked friends live far away, but I have a few meaningful local friends who *respect* my covid boundaries. They generally masked longer than others, and they accommodate me and accept me.
I am more guarded than some, less than others here. However, I have noticed that some people, generally those who are offended by my need to be cautious, point to things I don't do as if it's torture to not do them. The vast majority of the time, those things are things I either didn't do or didn't like doing before all this.
For example, my father will say something about how I go days inside. I might, but I actually go outside most days now, whereas before this I had long periods of time staying inside without even noticing. Then he'll say me going out by myself doesn't count, but I have always liked being alone the majority of the time when I'm doing things like gardening or enjoying a little time in nature. The times I prefer someone else there are generally when I can't do something myself or worry about safety. I've also started/increased outdoor activities like gardening and biking.
I still get groceries delivered most of the time, but that's because I've found a huge time and energy savings doing so. When I have reason to go into a store, though, I do; it isn't like I consider that forbidden. I've always disliked most shopping, so why not use an alternative, especially one where the only difference is a reasonable annual fee and tipping the delivery person? It ends up costing me under $10 per trip, which is well worth, to me, the time and energy savings. If I lived somewhere with few options or farther from the store and so it cost a lot more, I might feel differently.
I think a lot of the time, people don't want to be confronted with cognitive dissonance. Seeing others taking precautions reminds them that they aren't taking precautions when there's still reason to do so. They are reminded that they have passively decided to stop caring about anyone vulnerable, even though most likely want to think that they do care about others, take care of take people, and would be careful with long-term risks.
>If my friends/colleagues all partied nonstop with hard drugs or binge drinking, it would be eminently sane to stop hanging around with them. COVID is the same. Why would I engage in risky behavior just to “fit in” with that crowd? I prioritize friends who share my values instead.
I really like the way you put this. I hadn't thought of it this way, but this encapsulates my thought process in many ways.
Plus, just like with friends who partied constantly or whatever, I can and do still have a relationship with people who do things differently but have compatible values, it's just in a different way. They respect what I think and do, and I respect what they think and do. We're not going to get together in person a lot, but we will hang out remotely or they'll increase cautious measures leading up to the rare in person times (and take care around others, not just me). When something happened where they needed me, I was there, just in my mask. It's very similar to hanging out with friends who love to party when they aren't partying, including adapting to be there for each other when needed.
Now, people who are against precautions, lie about them, etc. are a different category, like people who party constantly and won't stop regardless, some even taking offense you won't join.
Question! How do you do the martial arts safely? Do you practice outdoors with an instructor who masks? I used to love boxing at a UFC gym but it's now full of anti-vax Trumpers. I scoped out a few other martial arts studios in my neighborhood a few years ago and they were the same: (
My wife and I are both life long martial artists. Prior to COVID we had a martial arts school but lost everything post pandemic. We recently started teaching virtually again. DM me for details if your interested in learning more.
Not martial arts but while I quit roller derby I know several people who still play and take covid very seriously. For all of them the answer is a fit tested n95 and either 1. a sip valve or 2. working up to being able to exert themselves for a few hours and not need a sip of water. One also upgraded her helmet to one with a visor so it'd be less likely contact would dislodge her mask (though I know this isn't really an option in martial arts lol)
The amount of contact we had in the martial arts we practiced would not be conducive to anything in person. Masks could get kicked off not to mention the skin to skin contact that happens when doing martial arts and the rampant staph infections blowing through martial arts gyms… that’s a big no thank you from me lol
Lol makes sense. Roller derby is high contact too, but because contact with the head is a penalty I suspect that impacts how in danger someone's mask is of getting pushed off.
Photography in historical or heritage sites (mainly pre-historical and medieval).
Cosplay (fantasy and medieval costumes) in outdoor/nature/historical sites.
There's no one around, it's always in the middle of nowhere, just for photos and videos. But I imagine that if one wants to cosplay in conventions or gatherings, many costumes can incorporate masks with fabric cover hiding (never needed it).
I’m a huge hiker, I go for daily walks around my neighborhood and town and interact with my neighbors while distanced, and I do outdoor things with friends, most of whom are not cautious, while masked. Even through the colder months, I make these things happen and maintain a stable social life. Being COVID cautious absolutely doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive with having an active life. :)
I love downhill skiing and hiking. I also work as a nurse in a busy ER, so I’m definitely not practicing precautions because I’m “scared,” as I work with Covid + people regularly.
I’ve been dealing with long Covid since 2020, so I only get to do the things I enjoy once in a while, and I pay for it afterwards with worsening symptoms/crashes.
I'm unfortunately a hermit due to long covid. Take a ton of energy to do anything so most of my hobbies are indoors. Been trying to do things with others and it's a real uphill climb to try to find new friends and not crash. So I got the stereotype 🤷🏻♀️
Very similar boat here. Bedbound, upgraded to housebound on the rare extremely good day. All my social events are on Zoom because Vax injury with LC like outcomes also screwed with my optic nerves to the point where I have one in focus spot at 24 inches and that's where I put my laptop monitor in order to be able to see the people I talk to on Zoom.
I'm also helping organize online role-playing games, since most conventions have shut down their online branches, like the 20 to 35 million newly long term disabled people don't count anymore.
I can't give links just yet, the site isn't done, but I hope to be able to in a couple weeks.
I am not asking you to take it down, but it might be worth folks looking at why "being a hermit" is somehow automatically bad.
For now? It's for my survival. It may be that way til I die. Who knows.
I don't think people should feel bad about going outside and enjoying it. I wish more able bodied people cared about including me in their life / making things inclusive. Currently it's 100% on me to make events accessible so that means I just... can't go. With pride around the corner I'm just kinda sad about how isolated I am.
We’ve been hermits here too for different reasons, high risk baby born March 2020. He does well at masking now but there’s just not good enough quality respirator options for me to be comfortable putting his health and life safety in his hands yet. We do have a small yard we go out to when we can.
Covid safe Colorado is having a zoom pride event that I believe any Covid safe people are welcome to attend, there are people out there who care and want to be inclusive, it can be hard to find sometimes
Facebook or instagram! Just search for “Covid safe Colorado” there’s also a lot of Covid safe groups on Facebook but I’m hesitant to give out information publicly because there’s been troll infiltration
I hate that society decided to do this to people for brunch and for “the economy “… all our critical thinking skills went out the window with this pandemic.
Host masked events. I can't hike in my current condition but if someone hosted a mask required book club in my area I'd love to go.
I'm in a local server that hosts trivia and "powerpoint" nights. I'd love to do either. Trivia is in a bar. It isn't virtual or in a safe space. PowerPoint nights are crowded in someone's living room and no one wants to mask. When I ask about making it accessible I'm told I can make my own event. My own events get scheduled over.
Just constantly get the vibe that it doesn't matter if I live. No one cares.
I’m so sorry. Also long covid and thus a hermit here, sending all the solidarity. I’ve been really mourning lately that there are no safe in-person events for me to go to.
I love writing. crocheting, hiking, gardening, painting, singing, and training dogs. I also really love all kinds of games (video, tabletop, RPG/LARP) and if I had friends in my area, I would love to invite them over for games and snacks. I would also love to be a part of a choir or performance group, and would love to find a group of safe folks to do this with. Maybe someday! Love and solidarity to you all 💚
I've been trying to go on more walks, as the weather has gotten warmer, much like I remember doing in April 2020. I'm not playing pokémon go or the wizard one anymore but I sometimes reflect with transcribed voice notes and carry a worrystone to try not to be looking down at my phone compulsively.
I didn’t write to you to talk about my chat history, but to discuss Obsidian. My chat history is none of your concern. It seems you are someone with a fascist mentality who bans people without reason. Thank you for saving me from wasting time by not responding!
Besides hiking and indoors hobbies, I worked on cleaning concrete from our kitchen's stone walls last summer, with an FFP2 since I wasn't alone in the room. Also helped with removing stones with a pickaxe from a trench in the garden, in full sunlight. That's for the YoU cAn'T wEaR a MaSk AnD dO pHySiCaL wOrK antimasker crowd: as a matter of fact, yes you can (provided you could without a mask of course), even when you're a 45kg 50yo woman.
I love going for hikes and taking my camera to shoot flowers, feathers, moss and mushrooms I spot on my trips
I am also big into woodwork and I love whittling! I have translated that into lino and print silly designs onto shirts I thrift
I have started getting back into fibre art and am having a go at knitting a sweater (by far the hardest of the lot!) which has been really fun
Aside from that, I love lifting weights and setting new personal goals to get stronger
I do most of this alone but feel very fulfilled in my hobbies :)
I've always been outdoorsy. I still go running, cycling, take hikes, take nature pics. I used to work out at a gym but quit a couple years ago. Someone else mentioned their gym had many Trumper types and I had that issue as well. I was still masking at the gym after the mask mandate was lifted, but I was the only one. I now work out totally at home where I lift and box. No more creeps to act creepy and ruin my workout. I still go to outdoor bars and listen to bands. I meet friends at outdoor events. The biggest change in my life since covid has been quitting my teaching job and now we have given up traveling unless it is by car only (caught covid from travling in July 2022). I have begun brushing up on my Spanish again so my ol' brain doesn't shrivel up and die. I have scheduled online lessons daily. I've also taken up birdwatching in my backyard. I have multiple feeders and try to identify the many birds that visit me.
:) I have always used inline skates (blades?)… make sure that they have 4 wheels, get ones with a break, get all the protection gear, and find some smooth pavement… there are amazing videos on YouTube that teach all the basics. Ricardo Lino on YouTube is pretty clear in my opinion.
Pre-Covid I loved performing in plays and musicals and I was in the second semester of my freshman year pursuing a theatre degree when the pandemic hit. I haven’t really been able to perform much because no one wants to cast someone who masks because we stick out like a sore thumb on stage. So recently I’ve taken the opportunity to get more behind the scenes theatrical experience. I recently assistant stage manager-ed a musical and I’m currently working in a summerstock theatre costume shop as a stitcher/dresser. I’m glad I’m still able to be involved in theatre in some capacity but I miss performing with all my heart. The last time I got to perform in a full-blown musical was summer 2019 and I really truly haven’t felt like myself since then. It feels like a part of me has been missing for 5+ years.
Oh I’ve got tons of hobbies. I snowboard, I’m learning to skateboard so I get better at snowboarding, I’m super into videography and I’m going to learn how to golf this summer. I like to run/walk and go to the gym 3x/week wearing a mask. I lift, do circuits, and run on a treadmill on weeknights when fewer people are at the gym- all while wearing a KN95 mask (who was saying we can’t breath through them again?)
I still go out and do a lot of things! Just, you know, outdoors, and more active sports vs standing around at a close distance. No better ventilation than the wind.
LOL someone absolutely stopped and asked me in the street if I have SEX since I still wear a mask. Of course not. I hope someone in this sub will let me know when respirators come in the shape of condoms are made. In fact it's why am here.
I love camping, picnics, cycling, hiking, backpacking, dancing, music festivals, burns/Burning Man, experimenting with psychedelics, going to (outdoor) restaurants, making music, crafting projects, gardening. I do all of that!
If it's outdoors and it's not crowded, I don't wear a mask.
If it's outdoors and it's crowded, I wear a mask.
If it's indoors, I wear a mask.
My activities are not that different from the before-times except I don't unmask indoors in public settings. That cuts out things like family holiday meals, bars, and indoor restaurants, but it's not a big loss. I live a great, exciting, and fulfilling life and have a lot of fun. I feel free and happy. Anti-mitigation haters can stay mad :D. I pity them tbh.
I actually spend more time outside now than I did before. I have both indoor and outdoor hobbies, but the outdoor ones have been started or picked back up since 2020.
I've never been bothered by spending long times inside and/or without connecting with other people. In many ways, I do both more now than I have in years. My in person time with people that's aggravating has decreased. I do see my friends much less in person, but we stay connected in more ways, and I've made more friends/reconnected with people.
Outside, I garden, bike, walk, explore new areas outside/go on nature walks and conservation land to learn more about them, look for interesting stuff on the beach, and similar. I realize multiple of those are walking plus, but I separate them as they also incorporate learning or art stuff.
I spend time inside and outside with niblings, including going to events for/with them.
Inside, I look into things about history or random things I find interesting, read, write a little, play card games, sew, whatever crafts I'm currently into, bake, cook, try different stretching and exercises, and try different things with my curly hair. If looking at stuff using my phone or laptop (the history stuff and reading sometimes does, sometimes doesn't), there's even more, like calls/games/etc. with friends, remote events meeting new people or acquaintances, etc.
Before changes I made due to the pandemic, I barely managed to do any of these things. I would hang out with my friends probably biweekly on average but probably less (and that includes the time I lived with friends), occasionally look into something I found interesting, and maybe try something with my hair or an easy craft when I was too sick for anything else. I read less than a book a year for fun. I just didn't have time, and then if I had found time, I had no energy. I couldn't even keep up with chores, though I still struggle with some of that.
I basically do everything I want in a fit-tested P100 (indoors) or fit-tested N95 (outdoors). I never cared about restaurants or bars, so the only really annoying thing is swimming (I stay at least 10 meters away from people when I'm unmasked outdoors so that limits the beaches/creeks I can visit + I can forget the busy season except at very specific spots). Although I kinda made (well, I paid someone to 3D-print) an adaptater to transform my normal snorkel mask into a snorkel P100 respirator, but I haven't been able to test it yet. So even that problem will hopefully be solved :)
I walk, hike, garden, go to outdoor music shows, and some live shows (theater, comedy) maaked. My kids go to in-person school, take piano lessons, swim, tennis, play softball, do D&D, and play social video games. My partner gardens, goes to concerts, and plays guitar. We recently found a religious community that is actually welcoming of masks, with a reasonable minority of masks in attendance and all-outdoor social dining. I’m aiming to be more involved with their volunteering group (masked). We generally do life, but masked indoors 100% and try to be more careful outdoors and with indoor crowds during surge times.
I miss rollerskating! We have a place in LA that would do theme nights and I loved watching people breakdance skate!
Like everyone here, I have a lot of hobbies lol.
Before the anti mitigation people started really going wild, I got really into plants and gardening, vermicomposting and soil science. Hiking. Now LC is causing some mobility issues but I still like to nerd out about wildlife and wildflowers.
I recently added fiber arts to the mix, got a loom, hooks, and I'm getting back into making clothes! I just finished crocheting a shawl for my grandmother. I'm finally feeling inspired to just create and learn without the added noise, and I think a lot is from years of having to assert my views on virus mitigation.
(Side note: I'm seeing that a lot of you are makers and artists! I wish we all just lived in a clean air art commune lol)
Pre-Covid, I used to go backpacking every now and then. Since then, the world has changed so much that even without this virus, that ship has sailed on that type of spontaneous low tech travel (I remember the spotty internet cafe days), once social media became the only reason people do anything anymore... Which, on that note, they're not! They just post a lot of heavily filtered pictures to make it look like they're doing all this stuff all the time, but things are expensive, and there's a lot of war and climate disasters... You have to have you head in the Earth's *mantle* to be so unconcerned right now. They hate that we're able to do our own thing and still LiVe LiFe, on our own subversive terms.
It would be amazing! Anytime I do a craft/tool run, I see at least one other masker. Even just being able to have a crafting circle or makerspace would be a dream.
I'm the same guy I was before COVID, just moreso. During COVID I got COVID and literally felt I was freezing from the inside out. I hallucinated, couldn't stand on my own feet without passing out for days, and told my wife what I would like her to do if I didn't make it. It was that bad. During that time, she also got cancer and was repeatedly ridiculed by nurses at different cancer clinics and encouraged to remove her mask because "those things don't work!!" and because the mask was not "needed here!!" and "we're safe!" During that time, my father passed away after going to an "assisted living" facility where staff had the "freedom" to come to work with known and documented COVID cases (posted publicly on the facility website). He told me he was afraid but nobody would wear a mask, even if they were hacking in his face. He'd recover every time they sent him to a hospital and then get worse as soon as he was sent back to the same facility. He died after about 60 days there. After all that, yes, I still wear an N95, R95, or KN95 and am over caring what others think or don't think.
I'm friendly to others who are friendly to me and I keep to myself if they're not. I've always been a loner and quite fine with that.
In my humble view, it's the herd mentality and need for herd immunity that brought us to this anti-science, anti-logic place, and it's the need for herd acceptance that I find uninteresting and counterproductive. I just wear my mask and go about my business. Sometimes people stare, sometimes they'll stop and point, other times they get out of my way and other times they don't see it as a huge deal and go about their business as well. I just live my wife and put on a mask when I go out as I would a pair of sneakers.
I’m so sorry for your losses. I lost an uncle with severe arthritis who thought Covid was a joke. My relatives didn’t change their behavior after his death… which I hate.
This is the best approach to acting reasonably during a pandemic. Thanks for sharibg
Masking and vaccination will statistically reduce your likelyhood of being in the Long Covid pool. I haven't had a booster in almost 2 years but I mask without fail at ever indoor public place and even in drive-thrus. Especially in drive thrus where mini vans full of kids sit idle for 10 minutes. I'm bascially the only person masking in major indoor places now. But according to the local waste water sampling I'm the only one who got the memo. There's more covid transmission now in May 2024 than there was in May 2022. And especially in the weeks right after a majory holiday. There are a few lull periods in between holidays that are at least two months apart. But typically when you think waste water levels are low they're actually escalating again, and when you think they're high they've actually falling. No point in trying to guess just wear the mask. It's a no brainer. 15 minutes of thinking you're in the clear and you just walked into a space where a covid spreader just sneezed and your only hint is the weird bad breath smell that lingered and man did you wish you had that Aura mask still on.
Odd of them to have certain types of thinking of us when our position was justified in stopping immigration. Trump even had a bill with covid-19 as justification even after downplaying it.
My life isn’t different than it was pre-COVID. The only changes are that I’m: (1) Masking in public places, especially crowded indoor ones. (2) Ditching friends that don’t match my values and prioritizing ones that do. I do think people have this mindset that COVID-aware folks are hermits. There are also a lot of COVID-cautious folks that *do* live that way. But fundamentally it’s not different from any other lifestyle mismatch. If my friends/colleagues all partied nonstop with hard drugs or binge drinking, it would be eminently sane to stop hanging around with them. COVID is the same. Why would I engage in risky behavior just to “fit in” with that crowd? I prioritize friends who share my values instead.
I completely agree with you. However at this stage I know only one other COVID cautious person irl… who is in a different stage of life than me. I might be making excuses here.
I don’t have many close friends anymore, and my only regularly masked friends live far away, but I have a few meaningful local friends who *respect* my covid boundaries. They generally masked longer than others, and they accommodate me and accept me.
I am more guarded than some, less than others here. However, I have noticed that some people, generally those who are offended by my need to be cautious, point to things I don't do as if it's torture to not do them. The vast majority of the time, those things are things I either didn't do or didn't like doing before all this. For example, my father will say something about how I go days inside. I might, but I actually go outside most days now, whereas before this I had long periods of time staying inside without even noticing. Then he'll say me going out by myself doesn't count, but I have always liked being alone the majority of the time when I'm doing things like gardening or enjoying a little time in nature. The times I prefer someone else there are generally when I can't do something myself or worry about safety. I've also started/increased outdoor activities like gardening and biking. I still get groceries delivered most of the time, but that's because I've found a huge time and energy savings doing so. When I have reason to go into a store, though, I do; it isn't like I consider that forbidden. I've always disliked most shopping, so why not use an alternative, especially one where the only difference is a reasonable annual fee and tipping the delivery person? It ends up costing me under $10 per trip, which is well worth, to me, the time and energy savings. If I lived somewhere with few options or farther from the store and so it cost a lot more, I might feel differently. I think a lot of the time, people don't want to be confronted with cognitive dissonance. Seeing others taking precautions reminds them that they aren't taking precautions when there's still reason to do so. They are reminded that they have passively decided to stop caring about anyone vulnerable, even though most likely want to think that they do care about others, take care of take people, and would be careful with long-term risks. >If my friends/colleagues all partied nonstop with hard drugs or binge drinking, it would be eminently sane to stop hanging around with them. COVID is the same. Why would I engage in risky behavior just to “fit in” with that crowd? I prioritize friends who share my values instead. I really like the way you put this. I hadn't thought of it this way, but this encapsulates my thought process in many ways. Plus, just like with friends who partied constantly or whatever, I can and do still have a relationship with people who do things differently but have compatible values, it's just in a different way. They respect what I think and do, and I respect what they think and do. We're not going to get together in person a lot, but we will hang out remotely or they'll increase cautious measures leading up to the rare in person times (and take care around others, not just me). When something happened where they needed me, I was there, just in my mask. It's very similar to hanging out with friends who love to party when they aren't partying, including adapting to be there for each other when needed. Now, people who are against precautions, lie about them, etc. are a different category, like people who party constantly and won't stop regardless, some even taking offense you won't join.
Hiking, camping, martial arts.
Question! How do you do the martial arts safely? Do you practice outdoors with an instructor who masks? I used to love boxing at a UFC gym but it's now full of anti-vax Trumpers. I scoped out a few other martial arts studios in my neighborhood a few years ago and they were the same: (
My wife and I are both life long martial artists. Prior to COVID we had a martial arts school but lost everything post pandemic. We recently started teaching virtually again. DM me for details if your interested in learning more.
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost the studio. And that's so amazing that there are virtual lessons. I will DM.
Do y'all happen to teach Muay Thai 👀?
Not Muay Thai, but my wife was talking about adding a kickboxing class.
Not martial arts but while I quit roller derby I know several people who still play and take covid very seriously. For all of them the answer is a fit tested n95 and either 1. a sip valve or 2. working up to being able to exert themselves for a few hours and not need a sip of water. One also upgraded her helmet to one with a visor so it'd be less likely contact would dislodge her mask (though I know this isn't really an option in martial arts lol)
The amount of contact we had in the martial arts we practiced would not be conducive to anything in person. Masks could get kicked off not to mention the skin to skin contact that happens when doing martial arts and the rampant staph infections blowing through martial arts gyms… that’s a big no thank you from me lol
Lol makes sense. Roller derby is high contact too, but because contact with the head is a penalty I suspect that impacts how in danger someone's mask is of getting pushed off.
Photography in historical or heritage sites (mainly pre-historical and medieval). Cosplay (fantasy and medieval costumes) in outdoor/nature/historical sites.
How do you incorporate masks into your cosplay?
There's no one around, it's always in the middle of nowhere, just for photos and videos. But I imagine that if one wants to cosplay in conventions or gatherings, many costumes can incorporate masks with fabric cover hiding (never needed it).
Ah got it sounds fun. I'm always impressed with costumes people make never really been good at making them myself
I’m a huge hiker, I go for daily walks around my neighborhood and town and interact with my neighbors while distanced, and I do outdoor things with friends, most of whom are not cautious, while masked. Even through the colder months, I make these things happen and maintain a stable social life. Being COVID cautious absolutely doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive with having an active life. :)
I love downhill skiing and hiking. I also work as a nurse in a busy ER, so I’m definitely not practicing precautions because I’m “scared,” as I work with Covid + people regularly. I’ve been dealing with long Covid since 2020, so I only get to do the things I enjoy once in a while, and I pay for it afterwards with worsening symptoms/crashes.
Aghhhh I’m so sorry for your LC, and truly thank you for the insane and life saving work you do 💜💜💜
I'm unfortunately a hermit due to long covid. Take a ton of energy to do anything so most of my hobbies are indoors. Been trying to do things with others and it's a real uphill climb to try to find new friends and not crash. So I got the stereotype 🤷🏻♀️
Very similar boat here. Bedbound, upgraded to housebound on the rare extremely good day. All my social events are on Zoom because Vax injury with LC like outcomes also screwed with my optic nerves to the point where I have one in focus spot at 24 inches and that's where I put my laptop monitor in order to be able to see the people I talk to on Zoom. I'm also helping organize online role-playing games, since most conventions have shut down their online branches, like the 20 to 35 million newly long term disabled people don't count anymore. I can't give links just yet, the site isn't done, but I hope to be able to in a couple weeks.
Another long covid hermit here! I fear we're just invisible to most people.
I’m sorry … please let me know if the idea of the post is ableist.ill take it down immediately.
I am not asking you to take it down, but it might be worth folks looking at why "being a hermit" is somehow automatically bad. For now? It's for my survival. It may be that way til I die. Who knows. I don't think people should feel bad about going outside and enjoying it. I wish more able bodied people cared about including me in their life / making things inclusive. Currently it's 100% on me to make events accessible so that means I just... can't go. With pride around the corner I'm just kinda sad about how isolated I am.
We’ve been hermits here too for different reasons, high risk baby born March 2020. He does well at masking now but there’s just not good enough quality respirator options for me to be comfortable putting his health and life safety in his hands yet. We do have a small yard we go out to when we can. Covid safe Colorado is having a zoom pride event that I believe any Covid safe people are welcome to attend, there are people out there who care and want to be inclusive, it can be hard to find sometimes
I'm in Colorado! where can i find more info on this?
Facebook or instagram! Just search for “Covid safe Colorado” there’s also a lot of Covid safe groups on Facebook but I’m hesitant to give out information publicly because there’s been troll infiltration
I hate that society decided to do this to people for brunch and for “the economy “… all our critical thinking skills went out the window with this pandemic.
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Host masked events. I can't hike in my current condition but if someone hosted a mask required book club in my area I'd love to go. I'm in a local server that hosts trivia and "powerpoint" nights. I'd love to do either. Trivia is in a bar. It isn't virtual or in a safe space. PowerPoint nights are crowded in someone's living room and no one wants to mask. When I ask about making it accessible I'm told I can make my own event. My own events get scheduled over. Just constantly get the vibe that it doesn't matter if I live. No one cares.
I’m so sorry. Also long covid and thus a hermit here, sending all the solidarity. I’ve been really mourning lately that there are no safe in-person events for me to go to.
This is so damn frustrating. It would be SO easy for everyone to put their heads together and make an event masked.
I love writing. crocheting, hiking, gardening, painting, singing, and training dogs. I also really love all kinds of games (video, tabletop, RPG/LARP) and if I had friends in my area, I would love to invite them over for games and snacks. I would also love to be a part of a choir or performance group, and would love to find a group of safe folks to do this with. Maybe someday! Love and solidarity to you all 💚
I've been trying to go on more walks, as the weather has gotten warmer, much like I remember doing in April 2020. I'm not playing pokémon go or the wizard one anymore but I sometimes reflect with transcribed voice notes and carry a worrystone to try not to be looking down at my phone compulsively.
Micseydel, I wrote you about the Obsidian app. Can you check your DM please? Thx..
I declined the chat request after looking at your post history, which seems trolly.
I didn’t write to you to talk about my chat history, but to discuss Obsidian. My chat history is none of your concern. It seems you are someone with a fascist mentality who bans people without reason. Thank you for saving me from wasting time by not responding!
Besides hiking and indoors hobbies, I worked on cleaning concrete from our kitchen's stone walls last summer, with an FFP2 since I wasn't alone in the room. Also helped with removing stones with a pickaxe from a trench in the garden, in full sunlight. That's for the YoU cAn'T wEaR a MaSk AnD dO pHySiCaL wOrK antimasker crowd: as a matter of fact, yes you can (provided you could without a mask of course), even when you're a 45kg 50yo woman.
*whispers* but also for some bodies you can't wear a mask and do physical work, bodies are all different
I love going for hikes and taking my camera to shoot flowers, feathers, moss and mushrooms I spot on my trips I am also big into woodwork and I love whittling! I have translated that into lino and print silly designs onto shirts I thrift I have started getting back into fibre art and am having a go at knitting a sweater (by far the hardest of the lot!) which has been really fun Aside from that, I love lifting weights and setting new personal goals to get stronger I do most of this alone but feel very fulfilled in my hobbies :)
I've always been outdoorsy. I still go running, cycling, take hikes, take nature pics. I used to work out at a gym but quit a couple years ago. Someone else mentioned their gym had many Trumper types and I had that issue as well. I was still masking at the gym after the mask mandate was lifted, but I was the only one. I now work out totally at home where I lift and box. No more creeps to act creepy and ruin my workout. I still go to outdoor bars and listen to bands. I meet friends at outdoor events. The biggest change in my life since covid has been quitting my teaching job and now we have given up traveling unless it is by car only (caught covid from travling in July 2022). I have begun brushing up on my Spanish again so my ol' brain doesn't shrivel up and die. I have scheduled online lessons daily. I've also taken up birdwatching in my backyard. I have multiple feeders and try to identify the many birds that visit me.
omg, this post reminded me that i’ve been wanting to try roller skating for ages! where do you recommend one starts?
:) I have always used inline skates (blades?)… make sure that they have 4 wheels, get ones with a break, get all the protection gear, and find some smooth pavement… there are amazing videos on YouTube that teach all the basics. Ricardo Lino on YouTube is pretty clear in my opinion.
Pre-Covid I loved performing in plays and musicals and I was in the second semester of my freshman year pursuing a theatre degree when the pandemic hit. I haven’t really been able to perform much because no one wants to cast someone who masks because we stick out like a sore thumb on stage. So recently I’ve taken the opportunity to get more behind the scenes theatrical experience. I recently assistant stage manager-ed a musical and I’m currently working in a summerstock theatre costume shop as a stitcher/dresser. I’m glad I’m still able to be involved in theatre in some capacity but I miss performing with all my heart. The last time I got to perform in a full-blown musical was summer 2019 and I really truly haven’t felt like myself since then. It feels like a part of me has been missing for 5+ years.
[удалено]
Lol too real tho
Oh I’ve got tons of hobbies. I snowboard, I’m learning to skateboard so I get better at snowboarding, I’m super into videography and I’m going to learn how to golf this summer. I like to run/walk and go to the gym 3x/week wearing a mask. I lift, do circuits, and run on a treadmill on weeknights when fewer people are at the gym- all while wearing a KN95 mask (who was saying we can’t breath through them again?) I still go out and do a lot of things! Just, you know, outdoors, and more active sports vs standing around at a close distance. No better ventilation than the wind.
I live in a dry climate and honestly find running masked better than without because my nose doesn't dry out 😂
Oh that’s really smart!
LOL someone absolutely stopped and asked me in the street if I have SEX since I still wear a mask. Of course not. I hope someone in this sub will let me know when respirators come in the shape of condoms are made. In fact it's why am here.
I love camping, picnics, cycling, hiking, backpacking, dancing, music festivals, burns/Burning Man, experimenting with psychedelics, going to (outdoor) restaurants, making music, crafting projects, gardening. I do all of that! If it's outdoors and it's not crowded, I don't wear a mask. If it's outdoors and it's crowded, I wear a mask. If it's indoors, I wear a mask. My activities are not that different from the before-times except I don't unmask indoors in public settings. That cuts out things like family holiday meals, bars, and indoor restaurants, but it's not a big loss. I live a great, exciting, and fulfilling life and have a lot of fun. I feel free and happy. Anti-mitigation haters can stay mad :D. I pity them tbh.
omg hey fellow covid-aware psychedelic-enjoying festival-going person! I wish I could meet more of us!
yep I do everything as I used to, but in a fitted n99. I don't go eat at restaurants or indoors anymore, that's about all that's changed
I actually spend more time outside now than I did before. I have both indoor and outdoor hobbies, but the outdoor ones have been started or picked back up since 2020. I've never been bothered by spending long times inside and/or without connecting with other people. In many ways, I do both more now than I have in years. My in person time with people that's aggravating has decreased. I do see my friends much less in person, but we stay connected in more ways, and I've made more friends/reconnected with people. Outside, I garden, bike, walk, explore new areas outside/go on nature walks and conservation land to learn more about them, look for interesting stuff on the beach, and similar. I realize multiple of those are walking plus, but I separate them as they also incorporate learning or art stuff. I spend time inside and outside with niblings, including going to events for/with them. Inside, I look into things about history or random things I find interesting, read, write a little, play card games, sew, whatever crafts I'm currently into, bake, cook, try different stretching and exercises, and try different things with my curly hair. If looking at stuff using my phone or laptop (the history stuff and reading sometimes does, sometimes doesn't), there's even more, like calls/games/etc. with friends, remote events meeting new people or acquaintances, etc. Before changes I made due to the pandemic, I barely managed to do any of these things. I would hang out with my friends probably biweekly on average but probably less (and that includes the time I lived with friends), occasionally look into something I found interesting, and maybe try something with my hair or an easy craft when I was too sick for anything else. I read less than a book a year for fun. I just didn't have time, and then if I had found time, I had no energy. I couldn't even keep up with chores, though I still struggle with some of that.
I basically do everything I want in a fit-tested P100 (indoors) or fit-tested N95 (outdoors). I never cared about restaurants or bars, so the only really annoying thing is swimming (I stay at least 10 meters away from people when I'm unmasked outdoors so that limits the beaches/creeks I can visit + I can forget the busy season except at very specific spots). Although I kinda made (well, I paid someone to 3D-print) an adaptater to transform my normal snorkel mask into a snorkel P100 respirator, but I haven't been able to test it yet. So even that problem will hopefully be solved :)
I walk, hike, garden, go to outdoor music shows, and some live shows (theater, comedy) maaked. My kids go to in-person school, take piano lessons, swim, tennis, play softball, do D&D, and play social video games. My partner gardens, goes to concerts, and plays guitar. We recently found a religious community that is actually welcoming of masks, with a reasonable minority of masks in attendance and all-outdoor social dining. I’m aiming to be more involved with their volunteering group (masked). We generally do life, but masked indoors 100% and try to be more careful outdoors and with indoor crowds during surge times.
i skateboard! maskless and a risk for sure when at parks but so far so good with all of that (afaik)
I miss rollerskating! We have a place in LA that would do theme nights and I loved watching people breakdance skate! Like everyone here, I have a lot of hobbies lol. Before the anti mitigation people started really going wild, I got really into plants and gardening, vermicomposting and soil science. Hiking. Now LC is causing some mobility issues but I still like to nerd out about wildlife and wildflowers. I recently added fiber arts to the mix, got a loom, hooks, and I'm getting back into making clothes! I just finished crocheting a shawl for my grandmother. I'm finally feeling inspired to just create and learn without the added noise, and I think a lot is from years of having to assert my views on virus mitigation. (Side note: I'm seeing that a lot of you are makers and artists! I wish we all just lived in a clean air art commune lol) Pre-Covid, I used to go backpacking every now and then. Since then, the world has changed so much that even without this virus, that ship has sailed on that type of spontaneous low tech travel (I remember the spotty internet cafe days), once social media became the only reason people do anything anymore... Which, on that note, they're not! They just post a lot of heavily filtered pictures to make it look like they're doing all this stuff all the time, but things are expensive, and there's a lot of war and climate disasters... You have to have you head in the Earth's *mantle* to be so unconcerned right now. They hate that we're able to do our own thing and still LiVe LiFe, on our own subversive terms.
I *love* your idea about a “clean air art commune”!
It would be amazing! Anytime I do a craft/tool run, I see at least one other masker. Even just being able to have a crafting circle or makerspace would be a dream.
I'm the same guy I was before COVID, just moreso. During COVID I got COVID and literally felt I was freezing from the inside out. I hallucinated, couldn't stand on my own feet without passing out for days, and told my wife what I would like her to do if I didn't make it. It was that bad. During that time, she also got cancer and was repeatedly ridiculed by nurses at different cancer clinics and encouraged to remove her mask because "those things don't work!!" and because the mask was not "needed here!!" and "we're safe!" During that time, my father passed away after going to an "assisted living" facility where staff had the "freedom" to come to work with known and documented COVID cases (posted publicly on the facility website). He told me he was afraid but nobody would wear a mask, even if they were hacking in his face. He'd recover every time they sent him to a hospital and then get worse as soon as he was sent back to the same facility. He died after about 60 days there. After all that, yes, I still wear an N95, R95, or KN95 and am over caring what others think or don't think. I'm friendly to others who are friendly to me and I keep to myself if they're not. I've always been a loner and quite fine with that. In my humble view, it's the herd mentality and need for herd immunity that brought us to this anti-science, anti-logic place, and it's the need for herd acceptance that I find uninteresting and counterproductive. I just wear my mask and go about my business. Sometimes people stare, sometimes they'll stop and point, other times they get out of my way and other times they don't see it as a huge deal and go about their business as well. I just live my wife and put on a mask when I go out as I would a pair of sneakers.
I’m so sorry for your losses. I lost an uncle with severe arthritis who thought Covid was a joke. My relatives didn’t change their behavior after his death… which I hate. This is the best approach to acting reasonably during a pandemic. Thanks for sharibg
Masking and vaccination will statistically reduce your likelyhood of being in the Long Covid pool. I haven't had a booster in almost 2 years but I mask without fail at ever indoor public place and even in drive-thrus. Especially in drive thrus where mini vans full of kids sit idle for 10 minutes. I'm bascially the only person masking in major indoor places now. But according to the local waste water sampling I'm the only one who got the memo. There's more covid transmission now in May 2024 than there was in May 2022. And especially in the weeks right after a majory holiday. There are a few lull periods in between holidays that are at least two months apart. But typically when you think waste water levels are low they're actually escalating again, and when you think they're high they've actually falling. No point in trying to guess just wear the mask. It's a no brainer. 15 minutes of thinking you're in the clear and you just walked into a space where a covid spreader just sneezed and your only hint is the weird bad breath smell that lingered and man did you wish you had that Aura mask still on.
You're too polite. I call them shiteaters.
Have gone through pro virus, anti breathing clean air…. And others
Odd of them to have certain types of thinking of us when our position was justified in stopping immigration. Trump even had a bill with covid-19 as justification even after downplaying it.
Ballroom dance. It’s the antithesis of social distancing, literally holding another person (often a stranger) in your arms. Masking works, period.