Dodging Bullets in a Pandemic

The second wave has swept across the country and it is sparing no one. We are not living in just a lockdown, we are living in a permanent state of fear and dread. There is no normal any more. How can there be- when ‘positive’ has become a negative. When oxygen is not something that just exists in the atmosphere but is found in a cylinder. And the cylinder is next to impossible to come by. When the sirens of ambulances are heard throughout the day and well into the night. When a cloth across the face and a soap or sanitizer becomes a protector. Yes, normal as we knew it has ceased to exist.

In this pandemic- survival is the order of the day. Much as I dislike comparing a pandemic to a war-zone, this is one analogy that really resonated with me: dodging bullets. And that’s what the past few weeks have been like, for me and my family. Here are some of the bullets we were able to dodge.

1. When I tested ‘negative’ in spite of being around two ‘positive’ members of the family. This is one bullet that can keep coming at us all and one that I hope to be able to dodge for as long as possible.
2. When we were able to find an Oxygen bed for my mother after being turned away from 3 hospitals. If not, my mother could have ended up as just another nameless, faceless statistic in the numbers that needed ICU beds or (God forbid) ventilators but couldn’t get one in time.
3. When the hospital we ended up in; gave my mother the right treatment and pulled her back from the brink towards which she was headed.
4. When we were able to arrange an Oxygen concentrator for my mother, thanks to God and the timely help of some wonderful friends. This bullet may not be fatal but it can cause a person to bleed. Bleed money, that is. A pandemic is also the time for unscrupulous elements to profit from the desperation and demand of the afflicted.

I have no idea how or why we were able to dodge these bullets. Was is Karma? The efforts of an over-extended guardian angel? We’ll never know. Because the media is full of reports about people who succumbed to the virus and all that it entails. Every time I read about them, my first thought is- that could have been one of us. My next thought is- thank God it’s not. This time. And my third thought is invariably- guilt. Guilt that it wasn’t.

So, these are some of the bullets that whizzed past us. There were others, but we were able to deflect them. I have no sage advice to offer, no Dos and Don’ts. No message of positivity. How can there be when life depends on testing negative and staying negative. We’re in the tunnel and the only way is ahead. All we can do is keep moving. We can stumble, fall or take a break. We can reach out to others to offer or accept help. But we can’t turn around and go back. Hopefully, we’ll all emerge into the light, battle-scared, weary but with the hard-won ability to take on the next tunnel. Till then- let’s stay strong, stay safe and most importantly- Stay Together. With social distancing and masks, of course!