Life goes on

I’m getting used to the idea of “social distancing” (avoiding crowds and maintaining a healthy distance from others), and am staying home more. But I can only stay cooped up for so long. Thus, it was with some relief that I took a long walk on Wednesday, both to check on a handful of construction projects and to take the pulse of the city. I was out from late morning through early afternoon, and although there seemed to be fewer people out there, Redwood City certainly wasn’t a ghost town. Restaurants weren’t full, but there were patrons. And the umbrella tables both on Courthouse Square and along Theatre Way were almost all in use, although, to be fair, there are far fewer of those tables than usual.

Because I’m being increasingly mindful of what I touch, I found myself paying particular attention to crosswalk buttons. In Redwood City we have four distinct types: a large chrome button, almost like a half cue ball, that you depress; a similar-sized flat metal disc with a large metal arrow that you depress; a small metal button about the size of a pencil eraser that you press with a finger; and a touch-sensitive metal disc with no moving parts.

I’ve found that the first two types — the half-ball and the large flat disc — are easy to activate using either an elbow or a forearm. The other two types are intended to be activated by a fingertip, but experimenting has shown that I can use a knuckle instead (for extra protection, you can use something like a paper napkin when pressing the small metal button). Of course, I could just do as most people do and ignore the button altogether, crossing when the traffic seems clear. But I was raised to follow the rules, and follow them I do.

I’m going to fewer restaurants these days, although I haven’t given them up altogether. For instance, on Tuesday my wife and I had lunch at City Pub. The door handles were no problem (during the day, the front door is often open), and we found a nice table away from where others were sitting. After ordering, but before eating, we of course both washed our hands thoroughly in their restrooms. However, we paused for a moment when our burgers arrived and we reached for the condiments; who knows how clean the outside of the ketchup and mustard bottles are? Although I hope that the restaurant is cleaning them regularly, we took advantage of the fact that the busser supplied extra napkins and used some as ersatz gloves. Funny, I’ve never actually considered the cleanliness of ketchup bottles before.

Most of us typically go about our day-to-day routines as if on autopilot, but that clearly has to change. We now need to think about all of our actions and consider whether they are helping or are exacerbating what has recently been declared a pandemic. Based on the best and most up-to-date information we can obtain from reputable sources, such as the San Mateo County Health Department, the CDC or the World Health Organization, we all need to consider our individual situations and adjust accordingly. If we all make adjustments, both large and small, we likely will hasten the return to normal. Personally, I’m hoping that we can get to that point by June, when Redwood City begins its ever-popular outdoor concert season.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to take walks, especially whenever I begin to feel a bit cooped up. Even if I just take a short walk around the immediate neighborhood, it feels good to do something so normal, and it gives me a chance to interact, albeit briefly and from a discreet distance, with those of my neighbors who are doing the same. Getting some sun on my face and interacting with others serves to remind me that despite all of our current troubles, life goes on.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.