They say we must learn to live with covid, if we want to preserve our way of life. So, I am learning. Now we’re on a transition path from pandemic to endemic, I have girded my loins and borrowed a book from the library, How to Live With Covid. Tremulously, I go out and about to the office, shops, worship, and parties. At the beginning, they called this herd immunity, but that seemed callous. Learning to live with something, on the other hand, empowers me—it’s heroic.
I am learning to die with covid. This will be glorious.
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Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
Only way to deal with COVID. Nicely written Neil
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Thanks so much, Vartika
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So true.
We have to live and die, being conscious of it now.
Empowered and heroic indeed.
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Thanks so much, Anita
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Dear Neil,
And aren’t we all weary of living with COVID? I’ve lost a couple of friends from it this year already. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m even wearier of politicians playing games with public health
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Amen to that.
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For herd immunity to work, part of the herd does need to be culled…
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Exactly so
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I feel you, Neil. This is one of those stories that is understood the world over.
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Thanks so much, Dale
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It’s going to be an interesting couple of months, which can go one of two ways…
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Spin the wheel!
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I like the way you end it. Have to live or die with it. The blunt truth.
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Thanks so much, Terveen
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Richly complex storytelling, Neil. You’ve captured something here, perhaps the collective unconscious anomie of our moment in time.
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Oh; Why, thank you. I thought I was just on a rant
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The way I see it is the MC giving up precautions and dying from covid and society accepting this as a natural death. To me it is a horror story!
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What a dark reframing of the way we talk about Covid. I like the voice of your MC.
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Thanks so much, Penny
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like they say, accept the things you can’t change, courage to change the things you can, and wisdom to know the difference.
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Perhaps, but that has to work for the leaders too
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They recently ended the mask mandate at my job, and I have this bizarre mixed emotions type feeling about that. I wonder when and if we will be able to go back to normal. Heck, I wonder what normal even is. I miss being able to grab a journal and go to someplace for coffee and to write freehand. Powerful story. We’ll see what happens next.
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Thanks so much, Anne
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If anyone had told me I would live out what are probably the final years of my life in this way, I simply wouldn’t have believed them. All the dystopian literature in the world didn’t prepare me for this culture. Nicely encapsulated, Neil.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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Well written. I also lost a couple of friends, but the worst was being restricted to one hour a day visiting my husband in hospital while he was dying of cancer.
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I can only imagine how terrible that must have been
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it’s so unnerving
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Thank you
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They do say things can only get better. As of today, all restrictions have been lifted in the UK. Our dear Queen’s got it now, but even at 95 it’s not stopped her working!
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It would, of course, be quite possible for things to get a lot worse. But everyone loves a gambler
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Well done, Neil.
I’ve never liked crowds; been getting jabbed like crazy for over 50 years; unless we’re close, one meter is close enough, two is better; and I’ve been wearing a mask of some kind for nearly as long. So, my personal abundance of caution shall continue even if just to piss off our current governor and his legion of lackeys.. 🙂
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All power to your elbow, Bill
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🙂 Yes. Thanks.
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Yes! I love this attitude. I figure, if it’s not my time to die, nothing is going to kill me. And when it IS my time to die, nothing is going to keep me alive. And I can afford to feel this way because I’m old 🙂
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It’s not so much an attitude, more a weary resignation
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Ouch. This seems frightfully true, Neil.
Hopefully he makes it.
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Some will make it. Some will not
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Learning to live with it can mean learning to die with it. Herd immunity is a cold concept that costs many lives.
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Absolutely
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A well written and timely piece Neil, I valued the sense of recognition and relief to share Covid concerns.
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Thanks so much
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Ah, the reality of no good choices. We do what we can, don’t we? Hopefully while taking care of others as we can, as well. Nicely done, Neil!
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Thanks so much
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🙂
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A lovely piece, Neil, well done. It is certainly heroic to carry on and live with it, especially if you have anxiety and nerves about going out and being in the crowd.
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Heroic? Or maybe reckless?
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A very timely sentiment. Taking responsibility for our own life is the answer otherwise Covid and political dictates will continue.
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If only the government would also take a little more responsibility too
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You tell it right. Myself I am frustrated about Covid being used as an excuse for bad practice
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Thanks so much, MIchael
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It does sound heroic. That doesn’t make it any easier for those in the same situation as your protagonist at the end, though.
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Heroic? Maybe. Foolhardy, probably
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Zinger of a close to this story, Neil.
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Thanks so much, Jilly
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