Zip up your jacket

 As a child, how many times did I hear"zip up your jacket,you'll catch a cold!".

It didn't matter if I was taking out the garbage, heading out to play with my friend or just going to the car because we were going somewhere.

Somehow, the magical zipper was going to prevent me from catching a cold.

It had nothing to do with the fact that kids get colds.

It had nothing to do with the fact that I was sent off to not 1 but 2 different schools,secular and hebrew ,where I would come in contact with a few hundred germ carrying super spreaders.

Nope.

It was all about the zipper.

Eventually I would catch a cold.

As noted before,kids catch colds.

There would be no sympathy.There was no concern. What there was was the inevitable"ya see, you should have zipped your coat up!".

It never failed.

My unzipped jacket,was at the epicenter of my cold.

20/20 hindsight, zipping up before going out was probably a good thing.

It certainly couldn't hurt.

During the cold and flu season,it makes sense to be more attentive to dressing properly, including zipping up and wearing a hat.

Kind of like wearing sunscreen when outdoors in the summertime.

There's no law that says you must,but what does it hurt.

This is kind of how I look at my approach to Covid 19.

After months of mask hysteria and social distancing protocols,we have more than enough evidence that while these things don't mean I won't test positive,it certainly doesn't hurt if you do follow these guidelines.(85% of people who test positive say they wear a mask all or most of the time).

Do I always zip up my jacket now?

Actually, no. That's why I wear hoodies as much as I do.

Will I drive alone in my car wearing a mask?

Ain't happening.

However, if the sign on the door of the building I am entering says I must wear a mask,I do (or I leave).

I don't stamp my feet and refuse to wear it.

People nowadays are clambering about all of the mistakes that have been made along the way in addressing this virus.

I for one,do not believe we make mistakes.

We make choices based on how we perceive the information we have at hand in that given moment.

Not a mistake. Maybe a bad choice.Maybe some bad intel.

In either case,it is always an opportunity to use that experience the next time I am faced with the same or similar situation.

Cold and flu season is right around the corner. Time to break out the hats and hopefully to remember to zip up my jacket.