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Personal COVID-19 Decisions

Playing it safe is the way to go.

The solution to the COVID-19 crisis we are currently in, revolves around individual actions that will impact us personally and then collectively as a society. 

Here's the Holdeman story--decision:

For the past five or six years we have rented a home on Hood Canal, right on the water. This has been a vacation spot for our immediate, Washingtonian family of 10 people. It is something I really enjoy. Big family breakfasts that I get up early to cook. During the week we can easily have eight pounds of bacon consumed. Mia the brown Lab has the best time ever swimming. 

Sitting on the deck in the morning or afternoon--blogging--and having lunch...  Many happy memories of fires at night and we have three August grandchildren birthdays celebrated at the beach.

But here comes 2020 and COVID-19. Grandparents over 70, my wife has diabetes and the grandchildren have been and continue to be "active" with social activities, tennis, swimming, and for the teenagers, just hanging out with friends, boating, climbing, etc.

The decision we made last night is that we are pulling the plug on the "big family vacation" and it will just be us--the old folks.  I'll need to cut back on the amount of bacon prepared and consumed. 

Why pull the plug?

  • We want to do what we want to do, but we understand there can be consequences. In fact, my children when they were teens soured on me saying, "You make the choices and then sometimes there are consequences.
  • I also believe in delayed gratification. Hopefully by this time next year, cross your fingers, there will be a vaccine available that makes a family assembly a safer choice than it is in 2020. 
  • We want to model appropriate behaviors for our family and for others. I can't really be writing in this blog about what everyone else, besides me should be doing and then do the opposite, hoping for the best. 
  • The ultimate plan is to celebrate many more August birthdays in the future. We can't do that if we are dead!
In your own personal planning, make wise choices. Delay the desire of your hearts for future years of fun, family, friends and memories. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.