Corona - Mask Mayhem

I’ve been changing my mind about a lot of things.  And masks have played a large role in my road to self-discovery.  I am noticing that they also reveal a great deal about everyone else.

Piles of Masks

Way back, in the beginning – well, okay, in March of this year, the fear of mask shortages for healthcare workers was becoming a great concern.  As is true with every manner of crisis, entrepreneurs and people with soft hearts (these are not mutually exclusive, by the way), began churning out masks as fast as possible.  Some people saw it as their way to help in this war against our “invisible enemy” and others saw it as a way to bring in some money.  No judgement here, I’m merely reporting.

Elastic very quickly became hard or impossible to find.  I was fascinated with the unending creativity of the producers of these necessary, but suffocating, accessories.  Elastic hairbands quickly disappeared from store shelves as they were put into good use.  Ties were fashioned from fabric and every conceivable method of keeping our breathing hampered was explored.

Jaimee' and Paisley at the doctor

Research varies wildly and even as I write this I’m not sure what the last five minutes may have produced in the way of dispelling everyone’s claims to the truth about masks.  Sifting through all of it (or rather a small variety of it since I would not be able to read it all unless I quit my job and stare at the computer 24/7), I have reached my own conclusions.  Some things are no-brainers.  Social distancing works.  Wash your hands.  Don’t touch your face. And if you feel sick STAY HOME! But masks?  That’s inconclusive.  

I believe everyone should make up their own mind and take responsibility for their own safety.  And they should LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE.  The danger of masks goes much deeper than a virus.  Our differing opinions are becoming an excuse to behave abominably to our fellow humans.

If you feel angry that other people are not wearing a mask when you go out and about in full protective gear, please wait to vent your anger until after you have returned home, and stripped off all your clothing before entering and contaminating your house.  Then you may scream as you stand naked in your garage; it is much more satisfying to do so without something muffling your mouth.  And if your fear of this virus overshadows your fear of an Orwellian society, maybe you should stay home.  Forever. 

If you refuse to wear a mask and believe those who would never be seen in public without them are virtue signaling, SO WHAT??!!  Nobody cares what you think, really.  If you don’t want to wear a mask you don’t have to make a big deal about it.  Just don’t wear one and for pity’s sake don’t breathe in other people’s space.  No one wants to get closer than six feet to you anyway.  Seriously, a mask is much less offensive than some of the get-ups I’ve seen when I was at Walmart way back before this plague hit.  But, I digress. . .

Jaimee Smiling? Afraid? Surprised? Who knows?

Maybe if we could all just imagine that the person wearing or not wearing has issues they don’t have explained on their t-shirts, we could have a little more compassion.  Maybe the person dressed like a beekeeper has a seriously compromised immune system, lives too far out of town for grocery deliveries, and has ungrateful offspring off on a closed beach somewhere celebrating spring break.  Maybe the person NOT covered is terror stricken at the very thought of strapping something to their face because they are claustrophobic, have asthma, or are convinced it’s a government plot to feed us to the Matrix. If either of these scenarios is true, these people are in need of a kind word and a friendly smile, not your unsolicited, unqualified judgement.  If you are wearing, you might need to tell them you’re smiling though.

Then there’s that guy proudly sporting his respiratory protection, firmly fastened under his nose.  Sorry Buddy, you’re wasting your effort on that one.  Repeatedly adjusting it with your questionably clean hands is exponentially increasing your risks as well.  I don’t need a scientific study to prove me right.  I wonder if by any chance this guy is married to the woman who wears a mask when she’s alone in her car with all the windows rolled up.  The woman who feels called to gesture in disapproving anger to those outside in the open air breathing deeply of the freshness she can only dream about.

Now that all employees in Ohio are being told they must wear a mask while on the job, unless of course they shouldn’t wear one, (yes it basically says this in the fine print of the proclamation), shopping is more interesting than ever.  My daughter was picking up some “essential” items last week and her heart filled with pity for the cashier.  Drenched in sweat, she had obviously dug into her husband’s hunting closet, finding a dark, thick thing that covered most of her face and was likely a complete failure as virus protection.  She was misery personified.  Jaimee’ was worried of offending the poor girl but took a chance and offered her the handmade mask she had shoved into her purse (she’s made about a thousand so far). She told me that after seeing the look of gratitude on the young lady’s face she determined to always carry an extra mask along in case someone needs it.

I went to the drive-through at the local Dairy Queen last night to get my ice-cream fix and I noticed their masks looked like they were made out of thin, shiny fabric, the kind that is used to make cheap silky underwear.  My guess is that someone decided this was a perfect way to satisfy the governor and breathe at the same time, hence they are all wearing totally worthless but breathable face gear.  I couldn’t help grinning when I drove away.  Ingenuity.  It’s a wonderful thing.

I admit I’m one of those people sweating in panic thinking about covering my mouth and nose at the same time with anything, let alone three layers of heavy fabric.  Just writing about it makes me feel a little queasy.  So I gravitate toward the research that has “proven” wearing a mask is definitely more dangerous than breathing in whatever polluted air I happen to encounter when I’m out and about.  It reassures me so therefore it must be true.  But I will fight for your right to cover up your whole head if you want to, as long as you leave me to my own choices.  And I will do my best to scrub my hands raw, stay home when I’m sick, never touch my face again, and keep out of your space because I DO care about you. 

Hairband/mask

One of my co-workers, knowing my fear of masks, showed me her own bit of creativity.  She was wearing a stretchy headband. By simply pulling it down over her nose, it draped down to cover her mouth as well and hung loose to below her chin.  Again, not the N95 protection everyone is talking about but it should definitely placate the powers-that-be.  I promptly asked my daughter to sew me up a few.  I’ll at least give it a try when I’m at work.

I was told I probably qualify for a mask exemption since they freak me out so badly that my anxiety (one of the things listed by the governor as an excuse) is legit and severe.  But I thought since I’m the manager I really should try to set a good example to the employees.  Let’s not dwell on all the ranting I’ve done about it at work; there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind what I really think of all the hoops the government is making us jump through to reopen.  At least maybe I can set a good example in the facemask department.  My last hope is that hairband thing.  I tried on one of the cloth masks in my office one day and made it about five seconds before I tore it off and tried to calm down. 

I’m a little afraid, too, that some of my emotional upheaval has much deeper roots than a simple strip of cloth on my mouth.  Actually having something across my mouth is probably long overdue.  But I’m thinking maybe part of my problem is that I’m stubborn and I don’t like being told what to do.  I grew up in a very conservative denomination that had a great many fine qualities.  But I never got good at taking orders when the orders made no sense to me.  And wow, has this mask thing triggered me in a major way!  I find myself outraged daily to a much greater degree than warranted by the inconveniences being foisted on me by politicians that have priorities apart from my well-being. Frankly, I doubt they could care less whether I live or die, so what gives them the right to tell me what to wear?!  See, here I am all upset just thinking about it.  What it all boils down to is I like my freedom; I grew up in America and I like my freedom.

And one more thing: don’t assume that because I don’t wear a mask I don’t care about Grandma.  I believe Grandma should self-isolate until this thing is less of a threat.  I also believe that if Grandma is of sound mind she has the right to CHOOSE to not stay quarantined and to take her chances, assuming she is well-informed as to what she is risking.  We are all responsible for our own precautions, again assuming we are of sound mind.  Yes, I know, what qualifies as soundness is a matter of many differing opinions. Sometimes it just feels too much like we're marionettes being  yanked around willy nilly by people who think the constitution is just a bunch of suggestions.  

We may never agree on things but we can still choose respect and love for our fellowman. With or without a mask you’re someone God thought worth dying for.  Important for all of us to remember before we flip off strangers because of a mask.

I’m going to go do some deep breathing now.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Corona Quarantine

scenes from the Spanish Influenza epidemic 1918

I finished the two-week quarantine our Governor has requested for Ohioans returning from out of state.  It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Although I might have been tempted to cheat had my brother not told me there is no way I’ll be able to do it.  This kind of statement is like throwing raw meat to a Doberman.  I did not leave my property for fifteen days.

I’ve had plans to paint the foyer, kitchen, and dining room for quite a while now but never found the time.  I figure being instructed to stay in my house for fourteen days is as good a time as any.  I knew we would be on “house arrest” after we got home, meaning I couldn’t go buy paint, so I bought it in Florida before we left and crossed my fingers that the color would be what I wanted after I had it on the walls.  So far, I’m okay with it.  

After

Before

Paul is struggling with me painting because he dislikes change of any kind.  He’s relieved the quarantine is over before I start ripping out walls. We used to have conflict if I moved furniture around.  Thankfully, he has given up and resigned himself to my constant need to rearrange, repaint, and redo things around the house.  There was some heavy sighing though, as the walls changed from Mexican-restaurant-stucco-in-shades-of-orange motif to a clean buttery cream.  I left one, less-orange, wall in the dining room the way it was and he was so relieved, thanking me for the “accent wall!”  I’m wondering if he’s been watching HGTV on the sly.

Anyway, I’ve been hearing way more than I ever wanted from opinionated, self-proclaimed experts on every conceivable way to prevent or cure the latest global pandemic.  And now, along with millions of other Americans, I’ve been able to experience quarantine up close and personal.

One line of thought by especially vocal citizens decrying the stay-at-home orders is the belief that this is nothing more than a way to steal our liberties and turn us into a socialist country overnight. The outcry, the outrage, the call to arms (figuratively, at least so far) well, it’s almost as if this has never happened before, as if those of us in the 21st century are enduring hardships and threats never faced by anyone ever since time began.

Recently I heard a short audio excerpt from a book by Judy Yoder titled Vera’s Journey: A True Story of God’s Faithfulness amid Sudden Deafness and a Century of Change.  She writes about the great flu epidemic in 1918 and people being told to quarantine.  Schools, professional sporting events, churches, theaters, and other places where large groups of people congregate were shut down.  This sounds vaguely familiar to me.  It piqued my curiosity and I decided to ask Google a few things.

My online search about quarantining history was quite informative and very interesting.  The first recorded quarantine instructions are found in the Bible in the book of Leviticus.  Lepers were quarantined under orders from the Almighty Himself.  While today there are effective treatments for leprosy, I suspect not one of us would have opposed the forced separation of those afflicted from society at large back in the days before anyone knew what to do to prevent, treat, or cure this dreaded bacterial disease.  

The most famous mandatory quarantine in history was of Mary Mallon, or “Typhoid Mary,” as we know her.  A carrier with no symptoms she continued to infect people while working as a cook.  Put on an island for three years, she was then released into the unsuspecting general population after promising to never cook for anyone again.  Her irresistible need to make and share her homemade peach ice-cream forced her return to the island for the rest of her life, twenty-three more years.  Seems logical to me.

For anyone who thinks 2020 is the worst year ever, they should go back about a hundred years.  In 1918 WW1 and a killer flu were competing for center stage at the real-time Horror Awards. The death toll in the United States alone was 650,000.  World-wide it was much worse.  Fifty million people died of the flu, thirty-four million more than died in the war.  These are staggering numbers.  I can’t even wrap my head around it.  And one reason for the massive infection rate was the war itself.  Soldiers moving from country to country, and factory workers laboring in the war effort, set the virus burning through the population like a match to tinder.

The same as a century ago, the one thing that works to slow the spread is separation.  Unlike a century ago we are not isolated even during the time we spend in our homes.  We have countless ways to interact.  Facebook, twitter and YouTube for real-time interaction.  Smartphones to text or call.  Netflix to entertain.  Amazon to shop. And if all else fails, there are always books, if you’re able to read; hopefully everyone owns a few of those.

There are several things about quarantining during the present crisis that disturb me.  Historically the people who were kept isolated were those afflicted with whatever dread disease was running amuck while the healthy population was still able to be in public. Today, depending what state you are unlucky enough to live in (Illinois, Hawaii, Michigan, to name a few) if you are caught out of your house without a specific, government-approved mission you will be heavily fined and possibly arrested.  Fortunately hundreds of inmates have been released from various prisons to make room for these heinous criminals escaping their homes.

A few governors, along with their “medical experts,” have revealed their lust for power as they dictate arbitrarily which businesses can stay open and which ones seemingly pose a threat to the health, well-being, and lives of their hapless constituents. I credit them, though, for trying hard to look distressed while they take one freedom after another from all of us compliant victims. Indeed I suspect they are more to be feared than the virus. Our governor has the wisdom to offer a lot of guidelines and orders in a rather non-threatening way and I’m not aware of any arrests taking place.  But as time goes on, Ohioans are finding their patience wearing thin as he delays certain businesses from reopening and extends stay-at-home orders once again.

I am reassured by those notable political leaders who resist the temptation to power grab, expecting and trusting their citizens to act responsibly with social distancing, good hygiene practices, and self-isolation when sick. States like South Dakota and Arkansas are beginning to sound appealing should I think of relocating.

As time passes my opinion is shifting somewhat.  I no longer think it inevitable that we will suffer the same fate as those poor souls a hundred years ago.  The social distancing really has made a difference. And I do believe it was important to shut down for a short time to assess how this bug is going to move.  Will it search and destroy everything in its path or will it be relatively easy to halt, or at least slow it down?  It appears we have effectively done that.  It’s interesting to me that our very success in NOT having the horror of the Spanish Influenza nightmare repeating itself has all the conspiracy theorists shouting their outrage across the land, proclaiming that this was never anything in the first place.  That, I do not believe.

What I do believe, though, is that power, once given, is very difficult to retrieve.  People who insist we need to keep everything shut down indefinitely must have no concept of where their provisions actually come from.  The government has done many a grave disservice by paying the unemployed more during their time off than when they were working, thereby giving the false impression that labor is not a necessity but an inconvenience.  If I were a conspiracy theorist I would suspect that we might be on a fast track to socialism and the complete deterioration of our freedoms and life as we know it, unless we get this economy roaring again.

Fortunately, I’m not one of those people.  Or I don’t think I am.  Pretty sure.  Could be wrong.  On my good days I really believe we will rise above all of the machinations of small-minded and power-hungry monsters.  Other days, I’m not so sure.  And then I remember those heroes from 1918.  The soldiers who died for our freedom.  The nurses and doctors who died trying to save the sick.  The neighbors who took care of each other.  The people who survived to fight another day.  Those were our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  That's where we come from and that's who we are.  

                                                                                                                                            

What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
   there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9