Blue View – Life Behind The Mask

A new age family photo

We’ve all been living behind a mask for a few weeks now – most people don’t go anywhere in this new life of ours without one. Wearing a mask has changed my perspective on things much more than I ever imagined… not that I spent a lot of time contemplating the topic in the pre-pandemic days. Here are some thoughts on how ‘The Mask’ and social distancing has changed our lives.

The New Familiar

Wearing a mask has certainly become the new accepted norm. Just a few weeks ago, someone wearing a mask stood out – now it’s the opposite, and not just in stores and parks, but everywhere. I don’t often have the need or desire to step inside a brick and mortar bank anymore, but I did find it necessary a few days ago. It felt quite strange walking into a bank with a mask and hat on, but since all the employees inside were also wearing masks, including the guard at the door, it must now be okay. I wonder if bank robberies will be on the rise? Continuing that thought, a mask also…

Masks are the new norm. Photo courtesy of Newsin.Asia

Hides One’s Identity

Since the original purpose of a mask was to disguise or hide one’s identity, it’s no surprise that it works so well at obscuring who we are. A case in point: we stopped by a local assisted living center to drop off flowers for a good friend on Easter. She was sitting outside enjoying the sun when we arrived, and, maintaining a safe distance, we greeted her by name. She smiled, waved and wished us a happy Easter – then asked who we were.

Hiking Etiquette

We still do a lot of hiking. So far, we’ve been able to find lightly traveled trails and paths close to home, and while we may not encounter many people, it sometimes requires more effort to maintain adequate social distancing when we do. When we went hiking in the good old days of a month or two ago, upon meeting someone, we’d always say hi, and often stop and chat for a minute or two. Now, of course, with social distancing, everyone is much more wary of each other… especially if not everyone is wearing a mask. If there’s no one else anywhere near, we usually slide our masks down off our faces, but when someone approaches, we put them back into place – which seems quite rude. It’s as if we’re saying,”yes, we see you and we think you might be carrying the disease, so we’re pulling our facemasks back up”. Likewise, we can no longer just step slightly off the trail to allow someone to pass – we have to move 6-8 feet off the trail, which, in a canyon or on a hillside can sometimes be a real scramble. A necessary challenge, perhaps, but a challenge nonetheless.

Paranoia

Perhaps with time, I’ll be better at reading a person based only on the eyes, but for now, I can’t tell whether a person is smiling or snarling; a nice person or a curmudgeon; friend or foe. Add to that the fact that some people just look intimidating in a mask, especially if it’s one of the weird skeleton faces or an all black balaclava type mask. Of course, seeing someone within ten feet who’s not wearing a mask makes me even more paranoid. Did that person just cough? The guy coming too close could be an asymptomatic carrier of Covid-19. Those teenagers jogging together aren’t paying any attention to the distancing rules – let’s give them a wide berth.

No visual or verbal clues.

Communicating through a mask is like texting… I can understand the words but I don’t always know the context. A mask muffles the voice, so I can’t consistently pick up the voice inflections that give me the usual clues as to whether the person is angry or joking. Likewise, I can no longer read a person’s facial expressions. A statement as simple as “can I get past you here” will invoke a much different response if said in anger or sarcasm versus someone trying to politely point out to me that I am blocking the aisle while lost in thought contemplating the number of carbs in a can of beans.

And last, but not least the, ahh…

Snot Factor

This is allergy time in Las Vegas. You wouldn’t think it in the middle of the desert, but the pollen count here can be quite high. Unfortunately, wearing a mask seems to cause my nose to run even more than usual. That’s a problem, because I can’t easily blow my nose with a mask on, and if I don’t blow my nose – well, let’s just say that the inside of my mask doesn’t stay pristine.

And with that image, I’ll leave for now. Stay safe, keep that mask on and see you next week!