Somehow, over the past eight months, it has become political to wear a mask. The simple act - which is something people across the globe have done for much longer to protect themselves from viruses, pollution, and other harmful things that travel in the air - is now something that has become a divisive and much-debated topic.
Wearing a mask isn't always comfortable. But, I can think of a lot of things that are much more uncomfortable that people do because they choose to. Beauty procedures, for example, aren't always comfortable - but people still do them, because they like the after effects.
Maybe we need to look at wearing a mask like we do with getting our eyebrows groomed, or sitting in a tattoo artists chair for hours on end - it's the end result that matters.
Wearing a mask out in public doesn't give away my political inclinations, you can trust me on that. My husband and I both wear masks when out and public and we have varying views when it comes to how we believe government should run. Yet, somehow, we remain married. Once again, it is another modern and accurate representation on how wearing a mask doesn't define who we are.
I'm not about to talk science or specifics about masks - I'll leave that up to the people who are much more educated and experienced on the matter. But, I do believe we need to take some of the layers away from the topic and bring this down to basics. It's about respect.
I don't always wear a mask. Sometimes, there are situations where I feel I can maintain my distance, do what I need to do, and move on. Sometimes, I'm unsure, so I simply ask the question to whoever may be in my proximity if they would like me to wear a mask. And sometimes, it's simply common sense.
But for the most part, I don't wear a mask for myself. I wear it because I live with someone who is immunocompromised, and I know there are numerous other people out there who are in the same situation - yet we all need groceries to survive, and we all enjoy the luxuries of life to keep us comfortable at home. I wear a mask because it truly doesn't hurt me to do so, but it could help someone else stay healthy.
And if later one we find that masks really didn't work, then at least I know I did what I could at the time to help the situation.
In our home, we have a plastic bin overflowing with clean masks. There are some with soccer balls, some with Halloween patterns. Some are just black, and others have video game designs on them. A few even have flashy cat faces on them (those are mine) and get some fun reactions when worn out in public. We keep our masks clean and we make it fun. But, we also hope that one day, our mask bin will just be a memory stored in the back of the closet.
