I just have to ask this, as my confusion seems to grow almost daily.

Is anyone else confused by our country’s current narrative?

I honestly feel as if we’re stuck in a messed up game of Red Light, Green Light stuck more often than not on yellow. Yes. Yellow.

Oh I know, there is no yellow in Red Light, Green Light, yet here we are.

Before going much further, I must ask for forgiveness as in some areas I must be a little vague. I’m currently being named in a lawsuit as a witness against a company I do not work for, yet have affiliation with the owner so am somehow being noted as a witness to a COVID case and the passing of an employee.

Confused yet? Yeah, me too. But again we are in this very weird “yellow” space and now somehow as a professional journalist who shares personal opinion in a column space (that’s what a column is after all), I find myself being careful as to what I state, as it might be noted in the lawsuit.

I really need to be careful here, which honestly bums me out, as it feels now as if my own thoughts and opinions are enacting censorship, but that’s the funny thing about attorneys, just like the government; they pick and choose what they want to observe.

From what I understand, a prior piece I wrote admitting to not being pro vaccine, but succumbing to the vax, at the recommendation of my surgeon is now part of proving I’m anti-COVID? Is that even a thing? If so, I’d like to publicly state on the record that I do not subscribe to the notion of being anti-COVID. As stated in my previous piece it’s something that we all know, COVID is very real. Many of us, especially in this community know a number of families who have lost those they loved or lived the nightmare of isolated hospitalization to this very nasty form of influenza. Yet, here are.

So onto my observation of living in the “yellow.” I’m just so confused.

Exactly two years ago, we all started hearing of this virus that had been discovered on some cruise ships and efforts were being made as to where to put the passengers to isolate them and prevent the spread. If I recall correctly Travis Air Force Base was named as one of the locations. In these very pages we reported on some locals that happened to be on said ship and quarantined from their family.

It was all unheard of at the time, so of course we would report on such a thing; it was historical.

Breaking it all down quickly, I mean we’ve all lived it after all so why drag it out too much, but in summary it went something like this.

The world essentially shut down in Spring of 2020 as much needed to be learned about this influenza and the rapid nature in which it spread. Social distancing, isolation, quarantine and sterilize became common words. Oh, so did distance learning, masks and sanitize, but it felt temporary.

Not all believed that to be the case and as the months went by the words sheep and socialism also became more commonly used and the grey area we once used to be able to exist in as humanity seemed to turn into a line of division as many began to questions freedoms that were being sacrificed.

Eventually several vaccines were made available and we were all encouraged to get the vaccine to help prevent the spread. Just like the usage of masks, people began preaching that we should all be a part of the solution, not the problem. Just don’t give it to our kids, or at least that’s what we were told at first.

The early belief was the immune system of the young was strong enough to overcome the virus and the known side effects were not worthy of the risk.

Then that too changed.

So much change and recommendations, which are now being tested has created a bigger than ever division in our nation. Seemingly gone are the idea of listening and respecting what another has to offer. Google experts in record number and assumption of another’s opinion also seeming to be at an all-time high.

So who has it right? Who really knows how we will ever climb out of this Bunker of Hell, also known as “the Virus?”

Honestly I have no clue, yet I do know I’m more confused than ever before. I’m not one to live from a place of fear. I shared that in a piece early on. I’m a girl of faith, which will likely trouble the attorney who perhaps believes me responsible for a death in a world where you truly can’t pinpoint where someone (who doesn’t live in lockdown) can contract the virus. If you are interacting with others, masked or not, you just may get COVID; the numbers are proof of that.

Maybe Australia’s recent “let it rip” approach has it right. Weren’t we once taught that the best way to prevention of an illness was exposure to build the immune system? Granted this may not be best practice for the elderly, asthmatic, obese or compromised immune system. However it does make sense.

I myself am in the minority group and appreciate those who adhere to being responsible and safe. Yes, I have cancer; yes, I’ve had COVID and yes, I’ve been vaccinated. But … I may get COVID again. Facts.

Am I the only one that recalls being advised to expose yourself to someone with the chicken pox if you had not had them by the time you reached your 20’s? Mindset being it’s a virus that can be deadly in one’s senior years, so early exposure and infection is best in the long run, maybe this pandemic is the same.

I’m not a doctor, nor am I trained in any area of medicine, heck I’m not even a Google expert, like so many who can’t wait to blow me up for this piece. I’m a simple writer who just happens to have an opinion, just like most of you.

I am, however, paying attention and when all the expert advice is added up, it makes about as much sense as Common Core Math.

Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.