It has become clear that there is no end in sight to the current COVID-19 crisis. Until there is a vaccine we are just going to have to learn how to deal with it. For each of us that means something different.
The nice weather is not helping all that much. People are going to the beaches and going to protests and visiting with family and eating out and basically pretending that it's all over. I understand the "why" and some of it is admirable, but the crisis is not over. It's really, really not.
The masks, which are among our few weapons going into battle with this monster, seem to have become political. Wearing a mask can make one a target of anger, for reasons which I genuinely don't understand. I get nasty looks on the street. When I have to go into a store (which I avoid as much as possible) I often have to remind employees or fellow patrons to cover their noses with their masks, in addition to covering their mouths. The sheer annoyance and hatred which comes flooding back at me would kill a lesser woman.
I have already admitted the thought that this may be the first Christmas of their lives when my sons can't come home to be with us. Sucking it up for the long run, with an eye down the long road to when I may have a grandchild I want to meet (none on the way that I know of at the moment) is not a lot of consolation, but it is the mature, sensible, responsible reaction. I will go so far as to call it an obligation. To not wear a mask in public is to advertise the fact that you either don't know the science or just don't care about other people. A lot of people don't like wearing seat-belts either, but we do it because it works. There are "no shirt, no shoes, no service" signs on stores all over the place and we don't even think about it. Why is this such a big deal? Because we have been pitted against one another for the past three plus years by the Instigator In Chief who sets a horrible example. We can't afford to drink this Kool-Aid. Republicans are not evil. Democrats are not evil. We can have differing views on how to approach things without turning on each other. We are Americans. All of us.
I don't like wearing a mask either. It's not really comfortable, and they often slip. But I'll do it until we have a vaccine because that's what we need to do. And for those of you who don't like the masks, you're going to really hate the ventilators.
Let's work together as one nation for a change. We're out of practice, but it can still be done. The soul of this country is hanging by a slender thread. One thread can't withstand much. But if you join many other threads to it, hanging on for dear life, you've got yourself a rope to hang onto. We're all tired. What we are not is "done".
The nice weather is not helping all that much. People are going to the beaches and going to protests and visiting with family and eating out and basically pretending that it's all over. I understand the "why" and some of it is admirable, but the crisis is not over. It's really, really not.
The masks, which are among our few weapons going into battle with this monster, seem to have become political. Wearing a mask can make one a target of anger, for reasons which I genuinely don't understand. I get nasty looks on the street. When I have to go into a store (which I avoid as much as possible) I often have to remind employees or fellow patrons to cover their noses with their masks, in addition to covering their mouths. The sheer annoyance and hatred which comes flooding back at me would kill a lesser woman.
I have already admitted the thought that this may be the first Christmas of their lives when my sons can't come home to be with us. Sucking it up for the long run, with an eye down the long road to when I may have a grandchild I want to meet (none on the way that I know of at the moment) is not a lot of consolation, but it is the mature, sensible, responsible reaction. I will go so far as to call it an obligation. To not wear a mask in public is to advertise the fact that you either don't know the science or just don't care about other people. A lot of people don't like wearing seat-belts either, but we do it because it works. There are "no shirt, no shoes, no service" signs on stores all over the place and we don't even think about it. Why is this such a big deal? Because we have been pitted against one another for the past three plus years by the Instigator In Chief who sets a horrible example. We can't afford to drink this Kool-Aid. Republicans are not evil. Democrats are not evil. We can have differing views on how to approach things without turning on each other. We are Americans. All of us.
I don't like wearing a mask either. It's not really comfortable, and they often slip. But I'll do it until we have a vaccine because that's what we need to do. And for those of you who don't like the masks, you're going to really hate the ventilators.
Let's work together as one nation for a change. We're out of practice, but it can still be done. The soul of this country is hanging by a slender thread. One thread can't withstand much. But if you join many other threads to it, hanging on for dear life, you've got yourself a rope to hang onto. We're all tired. What we are not is "done".
RSS Feed