Being COVID-Conscious in a World Without Masks

[kzz]

I mask in public. I’ve had a few folks question it, but it’s been nice not being sick for much of the last few years. I’m able to use a FloMask to try to reduce waste but reducing the spread and mutation of this virus is very important to me.

Thinking back to early responses to the pandemic, I was reminded of depictions of pandemics in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Folks all working together to find a cure, supporting one another. Were there some troublemakers? Probably. But the community was able to overcome. I’m disappointed that we didn’t quite get to the point where we figured everything out. It feels a lot like when the streets are broken, and maybe if you complain enough, the city will put in a temporary patch, but there’s no priority in resolving the issue entirely while cars keep getting bigger and public transit isn’t always reliable or accessible. (Probably not the best analogy.)

But then there are the folks who take initiative. They patch the potholes. They draw dicks around them to force the city to intervene. I’m pleased that there are folks in my community who care about our collective well being to focus on respiratory safety.

[popcorniest]

Seeing that change over time, from early responses where most people tried to mitigate spreading to now, where relatively few people do anything has been disheartening.

But seeing the people that are still doing what they can and distributing resources so that others can do the same has been very heartening.

[kzz]

I received a compliment on my mask today at a local grocer from an unmasked person. About it being compact and somewhat form-fitting on my face. I wasn’t quite sure what kind of compliment it was (generally positive or backhanded). I think I might be a bit defensive about people making mask comments as they’re often negative. My girlfriend encouraged me to take it positively, so I’m going to do that.

Having so many masks/respirator options available has me thinking about how there are so many models of cars (apologies for yet another car-centric analogy). There’s likely one for everyone.

I’m appreciating the slow nature of this back-and-forth conversation. Just coming back to read older stuff is nice.