Sunday Confessional: I wanted to shove a woman in a ditch

/ Tracy Abell

I went for a run on the trails this morning and, as is my routine, wore a bandana around my neck. Whenever I see someone coming my direction, I stop to pull it over my nose and mouth. I do this because running makes me breathe more heavily and I want to minimize the possibility of me infecting someone if I somehow have Covid (and am asymptomatic). Because this was a Sunday, I encountered a greater number of people on the trails (walkers, runners, and one mountain biker). I was the only one masked, but that was fine, and each encounter was friendly. (Okay, the mountain biker reactivated my animus by being an entitled trail-hog.)

Near the end of the run, I saw a person coming toward me. I stopped, masked, moved over to the right, and started running again. When I got closer I realized it was a woman who lives on my street, and I waved hello. Her reply?

She scoffed and yelled, “I’m triple vaccinated!”

As I continued running, I said some bad things out loud to myself. Mostly WTF and what kind of monster shames mask-wearers during a freaking global pandemic and then some stuff about that woman’s intelligence level plus a few choice words about our useless government and how this pandemic is only going to get worse. Whew. Then I reminded myself I was running on narrow, uneven trails with lots of rocks sticking up and that it would truly suck to trip, fall, and add to my collection of scars. So I began chanting my trail-running mantra:

Feet on the ground. Feet on the ground. Feet on the ground.

Image by yellowcat from Pixabay

It worked. I let go of the emotions and made it home without injury. And in writing this out, I just realized that mantra is probably a good all-around reminder to help me stay in the moment during these difficult days.

Feet on the ground.

12 thoughts on “Sunday Confessional: I wanted to shove a woman in a ditch”

  3. My husband only keeps me around because I’m quick with the witty retorts. I likely would have hollered back, “Too bad being triple vaccinated doesn’t make you any smarter!”

    Some people really do beg to be pushed in a ditch sometimes. 🙂

    I once dated a guy and while driving casually mentioned my Dyslexia. He immediately leaned against the passenger door with big eyes and asked me if it was contagious and I said, “No, but your stupidity is.” Bwahahaha.

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    • That’s a perfect response! I was so stunned that it didn’t fully process until I’d run a ways down the trail. But even if I’d thought of a retort, I don’t think I would’ve given her the satisfaction of a reply. She sounded unhinged and I just ran on by!

      Was that guy serious about dyslexia being contagious?! Please tell me it was a joke.

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  5. If she’s triple vaxxed then she obviously takes the virus seriously … I think the pandemic and assorted disasters are working on all our last nerves. Good for you for not letting her breaking point become your breaking point.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hi Jenn!
      For sure that triple-vaxxed woman takes the virus seriously and I absolutely agree that we’re all at our breaking points (or beyond them, as in, broken). And that’s actually the root of what really gets to me about shaming those who’ve never stopped wearing masks. Because even though we are all at our breaking point, our collective trauma(s) is being swept under the rug as Biden and everyone else who purports to “listen to science” pretend that everything is back to normal now that there’s a vaccine. Meanwhile, despite the variants and the fact we’re steadily marching toward one million deaths in the U.S. alone, workers and school-age children are being thrown in the capitalist wood chipper for the benefit of the economy. That is what matters most to those in power. Profits, not people. So, when the vaccinated scoff at vaccinated people who wear masks (because we understand that we are on our own and that it’s up to us to keep ourselves safe), the scoffers are merely upholding an economic status quo that does not give two shits whether we live or die.

      I’m glad I didn’t lose my head and get into it with her on the trail. But I would like her to know I’m on her side and that I would like for her to be on mine. Because we’re all we’ve got in in this current reality.

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