Dear Prudence,
I’m in the small minority in the U.S. who have not gotten COVID. My husband and I have achieved this by working from home all this time and missing out on a lot of fun. We hoped that when we got our fifth shot we’d be ready to get out more, but no; we’re still really concerned about long COVID. I went to my first indoor group event last night, and I was both socially awkward and a little freaked out. After a while, I put my mask on and sat farther away from everyone. I think I offended my dearest friends and am going to reach out to people today. But Prudie, how can I be more relaxed like everyone else and go on trips, to concerts, and gatherings? How is everyone else coping so well with the ongoing pandemic? Over 300 people are still dying every day, but everybody is having a great time! You can see I’m not even sure what I want here. How can I be less afraid? Should I even want to be less afraid?
—Confused and Conflicted