Fresh Air

The wildfire smoke that choked us for 10 days was finally washed away by rain. We apparently broke a local record for the worst air quality documented here. Oppressive and disturbing, the toxic air started feeling like a visible manifestation of COVID-19: The simple act of breathing might be dangerous. In the same way that we’ve had to change routine habits to protect ourselves from a deadly virus, we had to do the same for the smoky air: We avoided using the clothes dryer and fans in the bathrooms and kitchen that would pull in air from outdoors. In one way, it was worse than the pandemic: We couldn’t even take walks through the neighborhood. I felt trapped in my own house.

I will never again take breathing fresh air for granted.