Farewell summer. Hello to another pandemic winter and figuring out what risks to take

This fall has been especially beautiful with deciduous trees ablaze, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets painting the skies. I’m in awe of nature’s beauty, but since those colorful displays portend the arrival of winter, I’m feeling particularly blue.

Summer meant we could socialize outside, even with the COVID-19 delta variant rampaging through our community. In June, we celebrated our wedding anniversary on our deck with another couple who were married on the same day in Australia. In July, we grabbed a table on the deck at The Tides, with our son and his out-of-town guest. Mount Rainier shimmered as we watched yachts navigate in and out of the Harbor, deftly avoiding paddle boarders and kayakers. The sun warmed us as we savored our food and beverages. What a great community vibe!

During the heat wave, we met boating friends at Penrose Point State Park where several of them had rafted up their watercraft just outside the cove. We swam and hung out on floaty toys. The water there often warms during the summer, but that heat wave made the water so warm we felt like we were splashing in the Caribbean. On a September day, we took our boat out and motored around Fox Island, admiring waterfront homes, barking seals, and views of the snow-free Olympics.

Now those dreamy days are over and we’re headed into winter. Time for cozy sweaters and comfort food, and most importantly, figuring out what risks to take.

Back in the fall of 2020, before we had a vaccine, no one outside our household was invited inside our home, and we didn’t venture into others’ homes. A newly purchased outdoor heater was efficient at warming a portion of our deck, and allowed us to entertain a bit. When it became too cold to be outside we met folks on Zoom.

I had high hopes that by this winter the pandemic would be behind us, or at least in retreat, and we’d be able to socialize inside, go into restaurants, maybe travel a bit. But the COVID case numbers, though dropping, are still dangerously high. I’ve had to lower my expectations.

What a learning experience this has been, and one lesson that really sticks out is that people have very different ideas about what risks they will take. Many folks are flying to see family or have other adventures, eating inside restaurants, and entertaining people inside their homes. Sometimes I’ve been dismayed at those choices but I’ve mostly kept my opinions to myself. When I drive out into the community — for essential errands only — I can’t believe all the traffic.

Maybe I’m just a stick-in-the-mud. Maybe I’ve become overly cautious. Maybe I should stop reading the newsletters from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, where the numbers of COVID cases are only slightly lower than last winter’s peak. Maybe I shouldn’t read the comment sections of the online newspapers I subscribe to, which are filled with anecdotes about fully vaccinated people who are being careful, yet are experiencing breakthrough cases. Maybe I’m just getting old. Well, that’s not a maybe!

I marvel at those people who have no medical reason not to get vaccinated, but are choosing not to anyway. I think that’s pretty darn risky, but as I said earlier, people have really different ideas about what constitutes risk.

All of this is to say that I mourn the approach of winter, and limited options. I mourn the loss of so many dear people, both here and throughout the world. I mourn the future losses I know are headed our way. So please, please, people, be safe!

Reach columnist Mary Magee at marymagee@harbornet.com.