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Why I’ll Miss My Mask
As the sun rises across America on Saturday, March 26th, there will be no more mask mandates (with exceptions for health care facilities and such). Hawaii is the last to give in, ending their mandate at 23:59:59 on March 25th.
Some are thrilled, some are nervous. After two years, more than will admit it are looking at this from an entirely different angle.
Warmth
Masks keep your face warm. They cut wind chill while being less bulky than a scarf or muffler.
Facial Awareness
No one has had to worry about lipstick for two years. No time to take care of that mustache or pluck those darn chin hairs? No problem, just keep that mask on and blame it on the government!!
Aging
Let’s face it, two years can do a lot to a jawline. Jowls and sags are easily hidden behind a fashionable piece of material worn for the greater good. The same goes for those craters that may have developed between the sides of your nose angling down towards the edges of your mouth. Do we really want the world to know what we’ve been hiding while we’ve been complaining?
Fashion
A fun mask draws attention away from all sorts of other things. You may have gained the “Quarantine 20”, but if people are commenting on your hilarious mask, odds are they never noticed.
Introverts Unite!
The past two years have been the era of the introvert. Mostly, we got to hide in our caves. When we did have to go out, we had the security blanket of a mask to disappear behind. Add a pair of sunglasses and a hat and it was as if you didn’t exist at all. Heaven!
While I am just as happy that the COVID crisis seems to be waning as the next person, I do believe that life hasn’t all been bad. Please be kind to people who still feel more comfortable with their masks on. It took awhile to get used to them; it will take awhile to get unused to them.
I won’t mention your chin hairs if you don’t mention mine!
If you had as much fun with this story as I did, I’d love it if you bought me a cup of coffee! Thanks so much!
