Stone Creek Campground sits just above the mountain tourist town of Idyllwild, California at 6000 feet of elevation. It’s a simple campground with basic amenities found in Mount San Jacinto State Park. The sites are big and private. Hiking trails leave right from the camp. Plenty of pine and manzanita trees offer spots for your hammock, and it’s only a few hours from most of the metro areas in Southern California.

By late July last year I had spent more than 40 nights in a tent or car camping. Any other summer, any other year, a quick weekend trip would be a no brainer, but under the shadow of COVID-19 even something as seemingly socially distanced as camping seemed like it could be fraught with danger. Leaving the house anytime has been anxiety heightening. Not only because of the danger of contracting the virus, but even considering the ethicalness of potentially passing the virus unknowingly.

COVID-19 is more insidious than just getting us sick. It is creating a buffer of fear between patients and their doctors. This essay describes the emotions felt when confronted with symptoms that pre-COVID would have inspired a visit to the doctor, but now are ignored.

An essay on being risk averse while job seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic by author Ryan Woldt. An Opinion Editorial previously published on LinkedIn. Photo Credit: @avirichards via Unsplash.

Can the novel coronavirus pass through tears? I’m asking for a friend, and examining what it means that the tears seem to flowing more freely than normal during a pandemic. Title image from The Office (NBC)