I will start off by saying that I’m incredibly privileged right now. In addition to all the usual privileges I have as a white American, I work mostly from home (yes, we lost of all our performing/in-person teaching gigs, but that’s a small percentage of our income most months), most of my clients still have lots of work for me, I have a car and I live in a nice community and can walk to things.

All that being said, I also live in an RV without laundry facilities or a useful shower situation (no hot water and it’s the best place for us to store supplies), so that means I incur extra risk just by living aka keeping myself clean.

Because of that, we’ve been using the money we’re saving by not going anywhere to fund grocery deliveries and take advantage of Misfits Market. We’ve also taken advantage of pharmacy delivery or drive-up contactless pickup when needed.

And all of that has meant that until this past weekend, we hadn’t stepped foot inside a building outside of our campground.

But this weekend, that changed! We’re still being super cautious, but since I was celebrating my birthday this past week, and since it looked like I would be able to visit a local botanical garden without going inside a building, I headed out.

The bad news? I had to go inside to show them my ticket (purchased online), which meant going in a building at the start and end of my visit, and since I hadn’t yet received my equipment for stealth bathroom use on the go (I totally have now!), I also had to visit a restroom in the garden.

The good news? They were following social distancing and cleaning guidelines impeccably well, and until the last fifteen minutes or so of my early morning garden visit, I rarely encountered anyone on the trail with me.

This won’t be something I do every week. In fact, given the spike in cases in Florida, I’m quarantining myself for two weeks as a precaution, just to give myself some piece of mind. But the reality is that visits like the one I did this past weekend should probably be a part of my routine, in moderation, to help me stay both sane and safe in the coming year (or however long this is our new normal).

With Disney World opening up soon, we could be planning a trip, but the more we ponder it, the less likely it seems that we’ll feel safe doing that anytime soon. It’s really important to us that we a) protect ourselves and b) don’t help spread the virus to vulnerable people.

So I’m thankful for equipment like this (I did lots of research, there are lots of options to choose from – I was even considering a portable toilet for the car!) that will give me extra piece of mind as I go exploring in the coming year. Who needs a gas station bathroom when you’ve got your car?!

TMI? Sorry, but I’m sharing in case that helps anyone else.

Be well and stay safe, friends.

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