Registration is Open!

I received the email a few minutes ago from my church, closed to in-person services since March. If I want to attend a service this Sunday, or any Sunday for the foreseeable future, I can’t simply show up. I need to reserve a seat that sits six feet away from one that anyone else may have already claimed. Church + Eventbrite is not a combination I could have imagined in my “before” life.

Christ Church, Bronxville

I can’t show up for work at my office, either. It’s open on a limited basis, two days per week, for ten people, maximum. I need to make a reservation 48 hours in advance which, for the sake of six feet of distance between co-workers, will not guarantee that I get to work at my own desk. Thanks, but that does me no good, so I’ll continue working from home. It’s going very well here.

Arriving at either place involves a plan and a protocol. In my “before life, showing up on time was the only plan.

 Before church registration opened, I watched a six-minute video with instructions to illustrate lining up on the sidewalk before the service, sanitizing hands in the narthex before entering the sanctuary, checking in at a registration desk, and being ushered to an assigned seat. And, of course, everyone must wear a mask at all times. The most distressing information given, in order of anguish to me — no congregational singing and no public restrooms. I don’t know that I can be part of a church service and not sing. 

I read a three-page memo detailing how to return to the office. If my reservation is accepted, upon arrival I’ll answer three health screening questions, then take a temperature check. Once inside, wear a mask at all times unless I can work alone in a room with the door closed. The office kitchen is off-limits, so neither the refrigerator nor microwave will be available. Bring lunch and eat it at my desk, as meals are not permitted in office meeting areas, and the few open restaurants in the neighborhood offer take-out only. Eat then completely sanitize surfaces. This sounds more isolating than working at home. 

So, for as long as spontaneity and second nature are out the window, I’ll keep my seat here at home where I have a standing reservation.