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NOT ALL RESTRICTIONS
ARE RESTRICTIVE |
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This has been a difficult week in a difficult year. COVID fatigue
is getting to all of us. The restrictions on our life are piling up once
again, and everyone has an opinion as to which ones are reasonable, and
which ones are not reasonable.
There is one restriction, though, that has been in place for
weeks now, with barely a peep of dissent. In fact, I'm thinking about a
campaign to make it permanent, at least for anyone over 60.
I'm referring, of course, to the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
Whoever came up with this brilliant idea should be nominated for a
Nobel Peace Prize. I have no idea whether it has any bearing on the spread
of COVID-19, but it certainly is the easiest restriction I've ever had the
pleasure of giving my compliance.
I am absolutely delighted to be forced to stay home from 10
p.m. to 5 a.m. My only complaint is there should have been serious
consideration to making it an hour earlier, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., which would
have worked just as well.
I suppose there are some younger people out there who might
feel restricted by this curfew. There were times when I enjoyed staying
out past 10 p.m., although it's so long ago I really can't remember.
Now I'm usually in bed by 10 p.m., and very happy to be
there. I drift off to sleep knowing that I'm a law-abiding citizen doing
my part to stop the spread of COVID-19. And besides, I'm tired.
Nor do I have any interest in going anywhere before 5 a.m. in
the morning. Quite often I wake up around 6:00 and relish the fact that I
have once again foiled the coronavirus by staying home during these highly
contagious hours.
There's not a lot of parties going on these days, but imagine
the benefits of maintaining the curfew once socializing becomes the norm
again. No longer will you offend the host by announcing you're leaving
just as dessert is being served.
"It's 9:20 and we've got a 30 minute drive back home,"
I'll say. "We'd love to stay but we don't want to get arrested. See
ya."
And then I'll plop my head down on the pillow by 10:00, as
the State of California intended.
Has anyone heard any complaints about the curfew? There's
plenty of controversy over closing outdoor dining, hair salons, gyms,
playgrounds and zoos. Some think it's necessary, others aren't so sure.
The curfew is another story. We're told to stay home from 10
p.m. to 5 a.m., but we're allowed to go out for grocery shopping, walking
the dog, medical emergencies and to pick up pharmaceuticals, which works
out well in the Tenderloin.
And best of all, the state admits that the curfew is
completely unenforceable. So the bottom line is that I can do what I've
always done, which is be in bed by 10 p.m., and feel like I'm doing my
part to save the world. It doesn't get much better than that.
There's one more benefit, too. From the time we were
teenagers, it was always cool to "break curfew." Those two words
were a rite of passage, a testament to our independence. Generally
harmless, yet powerful.
This latest curfew gives us another opportunity to recapture
our youth. Somewhere down the line, when the surge has receded and my
vaccination is complete, I'm going to do it. I've got a plan, and here it
is.
It will be 9:30 at night. I'll be getting sleepy, but I'll
fight to stay awake. By 10:00 I'll be having second thoughts, but my
resolve is strong. I'm going to break curfew, and that's not all.
"Where are you going?" my wife will say as I open
the door to the outside world.
"I've had enough," I will reply. "I'm breaking
curfew. Aren't you proud of me?"
She will not be impressed, but that's okay. I will walk out
the door with head held high. Then I will march gallantly a quarter mile
to our neighborhood playground.
It is there that I will make a statement heard round the
world. Not only will it be 10:20 and I have officially broken curfew, but
I will defiantly duck under the CAUTION/KEEP OUT tape, climb the steps and
then glide triumphantly down the slide, arms held high.
Unless it's one of those twisty slides. That could hurt.
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