I am not sure where a post like this would really belong, but it is a general post, and the situation at the very least is causing anxiety.  I don't know that I'm depressed about it per se, but it is bothering me. 

Last year I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years almost completely alone-in quarantine.  There was zoom-yeah-really awesome, a totally awesome way to spend the holiday season, for sure.  Cooked dinner for myself, quarantined, the whole nine.  The h*ll if I will do that again. 

Here we are again.  My entire social network is upended by this. There are people who will not get vaccinated if it (literally) will save their lives.  On the other hand, there are other people on the far end of the spectrum who even though fully vaccinated and boosted (me too), demand I wear a mask around them and call the theater to complain that they don't enforce masks properly-the Karens.  I'm really tired of both.

Yesterday, when I called to ask what time to come for dinner (the entire crowd is vaccinated and boosted) I was told that I needed to do a rapid test to be allowed over.  I keep them on hand here just in case, for whatever reason. For some reason, I didn't like it.  I could see if I was not vaccinated, but this put me off.  I almost made up an excuse and ditched Christmas yet again.  But, I didn't want to sit home alone again. 

I said that I would take the test here, which I did. It can be kind of a pain to do it-the test itself is inherently intrusive with having to put the swab in your nose and properly get it in the saline by the control panel.  They insisted that I do the Covid test at their house-in front of them.  I would not! Did they really think I would lie about the results of the test?! Come on!! You trust me so little you are going to make me do the test in front of you?!?   I said that I will do it here at my house.  The swab is too intrusive and I will not have a non-medical person swabbing me. I think it's delicate and could be dangerous. Not to mention, if you have Covid, you should test BEFORE you go to the event. IF you are infected you have brought it there with you to the event already...so that might defeat the purpose. And then there's the awkwardness of it it turns out positive right there-what is that scenario going to look like?  Are they going to scream at you and throw tomatoes as you run out the door? 

I'm very resentful of the level of personal freedom that this is infringing on.  I was OK giving up my freedoms last year before we had vaccines or treatments because there wasn't any recourse for this thing. Now there is.  I have accommodated others long enough, and I am unwilling to accommodate anymore.  If it's for my parents, or at a hospital, or I'm forced to keep my job, then OK.  But that's it. These same people are implying that I change my routine and social habits in order to be able to hang out with them. That is never going to happen.