It has been some time since I last wrote here. Isn’t it interesting how life steps in and sidetracks us?
I have written and rewritten this entry several times now because I simply am not sure how to proceed. I am not sure how to say what is going on in my head. I am a writer, so having no words is extremely frustrating. But we are in the middle of things that are beyond frustrating.
Since February, we have been through more than any of us would have imagined and it continues to get worse.
The virus attacked and we had to face the fear and uncertainty. Many of us simply hunkered down to ride out the storm. Some of us were already solitary souls, so the idea of quarantine or lockdown didn’t seem terribly different from our usual life.
But then we began to see the virus spread. We began to hear of friends of friends who had the virus. We began to hear of deaths in our general vicinity. We didn’t personally know those people, but it vaguely brought the nightly news broadcasts into a new light. We felt sorry for those unknown people and we continued to try and manage our own life with the growing restrictions.
Then, suddenly, we knew someone who tested positive. Oh, it was only someone we knew on Facebook or Twitter, but it was a name that we knew. We became more unsettled. Some became a bit more filled with panic. Some began suffering from the stress and anxiety of it all.
Then it hit home. Someone we knew personally-or someone related to us-tested positive. Someone in our little circle. Perhaps someone in our own family. We watched the news broadcasts and heard about how the virus was striking the cities-Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. We heard about thousands of faceless unknown people. But now it was no longer on the news, it was on our own doorstep.
Some of us have lost friends or relatives to this virus. My heart sincerely breaks for the hundreds of thousands of families who will never again see that loved one. My heart sincerely breaks for those who are lost. And my heart sincerely breaks for those who can’t seem to see that something as simple as putting on a mask for the few moments spent shopping might very well save a life. That mask might very well save MY life. It might very well save yours.
It is simply a matter of caring for others. A mask is not meant to take away rights no more than a seatbelt or a baby’s carseat would be means to take away rights. It is meant to save lives. Why is that so difficult to underestand?
Why is it a political statement to be compassionate and considerate of others? Why is it a question at all?
Do you want your “normal” life back? Do you want to be able to come and go as you please? Do you want your grandparents, children, grandchildren and friends to not be worried for their health and safety?
Then wear the damned mask.
Shades of Life 
YES!