To fly or not to fly?

My flight to L.A. has been booked for a month. I get to see my kids, whom I have not seen in many months, and I get to have Thanksgiving Dinner with my sister and her large family in Palm Springs and I get to play golf and tennis without the threat of rain.

Sounds great with one tiny exception: COVID-19! The virus is spiraling out of control in the U.S. and the governors of California, Oregon and Washington have asked people to stay home and avoid crowds.

Chances are I will be okay. Allegiant Airlines has small planes and so far, there are not many people signed up for the flights. One option is to show up at the airport this Thursday and decide on the spot if I feel safe getting on the plane, depending on the seating options. There is no way I will allow myself to be sandwiched between two people in such a confined space with no outside airflow.

Another option is to grow up and play the odds. I am in an age group that is particularly vulnerable to the virus. I would be willing to roll the dice at a Casino even though the odds are I am not going to win the jackpot. But am I willing to roll the dice when the odds are better but I am risking my life instead of 10 bucks?

There is another option. If I do not get on that plane, I am going to take my darling puppy Rosie, now 7 months old, and drive down to Oregon where my brother is a park host at a beautiful National Park.

Because I cannot sit still at home as the governors are suggesting, driving around with Rosie is a great option. I am on the move, I am exploring, I am listening to the radio or CDs: rock and roll, books on tape, and of course, cable news, which is constantly updating me on how the COVID-19 numbers are spinning out of control.

Or I will stay where I am, working on my laptop on the kitchen counter. I can hear my wife teaching her third graders remotely via Zoom in the nearby office and it is music to my ears. Rosie is chomping on a challenging chew toy at my feet. Our daughter is living in the mother-in-law suite below us with her three cats.

I could just stay right where I am, getting to work on planning the Cell phone Cinema course I will be teaching remotely via Skagit Valley College starting in January. Then I am taking Rosie to the off-leash dog park at least once a day weather permitting. I am working in my garden between raindrops

Yes, I miss my family in California. Yes, I miss karaoke and dancing at the Old Edison. But things could be worse. A lot worse! And there is some good news about the impending availability of vaccines that might lead to a Spring Reawakening.

To fly or not to fly? Hmmmm?