![\"Masks](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_0467-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C200\")
But, with the COVID-19 guidelines, washing your hands,<\/a> which we wrote about years ago, and wearing a mask covering your nose and mouth in public have become generally accepted as two things we can do to slow the spread of the disease. There\u2019s also socially distancing and self-imposed (as well as officially imposed) quarantine.\u00a0 We\u2019re also told to not touch our faces or eyes. (And how\u2019s that going for you?) Overall, wearing masks and hand washing are the two actions I have heard about the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe can\u2019t really monitor the hand washing of anyone but ourselves, except by hearsay. So, when we talk with friends, we focus on masks. \u201cI went to the grocery store and no one was wearing a mask.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t people know they have to cover their noses with the masks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some people are apparently threatened by the request, if not the requirement, to wear a mask. And to some degree I understand. When I was seriously sick a few years ago, my immune system was destroyed and I was given a box of masks by the hospital and instructions to wear one in public. The idea made me feel like a laughingstock. So when I went to the doctor for a checkup I had one with me, but kept making up excuses (e.g., \u201cno one is standing close to me\u201d) not to put it on. While I\u2019m pretty sure not wearing that mask isn\u2019t why I ended up back in the hospital, I remember my reaction and have tried to be sympathetic when I\u2019ve watched people wearing them. For example many people in Bangkok wear masks because of the air pollution. But I wasn\u2019t going to wear one while in Bangkok. Masks looked presumptuous. And a bit silly. So I understand the threat to image or convenience that some people may be feeling as a reaction to wearing masks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With COVID-19, for the first few weeks I managed avoid putting on a mask, supporting my decision with information questioning their usefulness. Remember, mask wearing wasn\u2019t a mandate initially. But then a friend of a friend mailed to our house masks she had made for us. Now I had one that was cool! Plus, I finally read enough from experts who agreed that everyone should wear one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many places, it\u2019s now illegal to not wear a mask in public, at least indoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, wear a mask. The science and official health guidelines are clear. If we all wore a masks, we could stop the spread of this disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me wearing a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19 is the simplest and clearest way of showing how a small action affects us all. Lately, I have been reading daily descriptions from my friend Tiffany Hollums <\/a>who had a fairly severe case of COVID-19 and still has terrible symptoms. To protect her husband, who had just had major surgery and was at high risk, and her immune compromised daughter, she checked into a hotel (courtesy of family and friends) to quarantine after three close contacts tested positive. After about 12 days, she began having trouble breathing with additional symptoms manifesting every day. It took 25 days before she was deemed not infectious. There had been no new symptoms for three days (the current definition of \u201ccured\u201d) and Tiffany could finally go home. (The other guideline is ten days after your first symptoms – whichever is longer.) But on Day 40, this is what she was experiencing: \u201cbrain fog, fatigue, high heart rate (tachycardia), nosebleeds, chest pain (painful to the touch), profuse sweating if I get tired, weird dizzy bouts where my ears seem to ring, breathing issues, purplish eyelids and blister-like things on my eyelids.\u201d These are her words, from the battlefield so to speak, \u201cI think the more time I get away from being really ill, the most challenging thing is reading what others say about coronavirus. People still say it\u2019s a \u2018hoax\u2019 or \u2018just like the flu\u2019 but that\u2019s not what my body knows. And I vacillate between frustration, disbelief, and genuine concern that these people will get sick and know in real life technicolor that this virus is real and doesn\u2019t care if they don\u2019t believe it. I don\u2019t want anyone to experience that or to say something that causes others to be less careful and experience this virus. Not to mention the lasting effects\u2014which worries me greatly for others.\u201c\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You <\/em>don\u2019t want this virus for yourself or others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A little thing that can change the world. Easy. Post a picture of you wearing yours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n ___________________ Who knew that some \u201clittle things that can change the world\u201d could actually descend upon us, rather than just arise from thoughtful conversations over coffee or wine, or during discussions about Spirit Moxie\u2014(you know someone asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s Spirit Moxie?\u201d You … Continue reading ![\"Pee](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-08-17-at-3.35.57-PM.png?resize=150%2C190\")
However mask wearing still seems to be a big deal, or perhaps no deal, for some. The guys at the car repair lot didn\u2019t even pretend to wear them. There\u2019s always someone who doesn\u2019t have theirs on correctly. (Yes, the mask has to cover your nose as well as your mouth. Think about it.) There is still, or so I hear, outrage at the idea of wearing a mask from those who want to think the pandemic is a myth. And the overheard statement, \u201cWhy do you care if I wear a mask if you\u2019re wearing one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Connecting](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/110317067_10160215178273102_2860787859833008831_n-300x139.jpg?resize=300%2C139\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Wearing](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/4373BC3C-4999-44DA-BA82-624FE52FC0DB_1_105_c.jpeg?resize=150%2C136\")
Remember, the way to change the world is not to complain<\/em> about those not wearing a mask. Change and, in this case, health, comes through our positive actions (see our last Conversation \u201cConundrum\u201d<\/a>).\u00a0 Wear your<\/em> mask. Play with what it looks like if you wish. Here, people are wearing bandanas or masks printed with political and social statements. They are experimenting with different fabrics and sport the most high tech ones or the simplest masks they can find. There are shields on children (apparently these aren\u2019t as effective, but still help).\u00a0 And, yes, socially distanced folk take their masks off to eat and drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Images from the top:
Masks for sale \u2014 Spirit Moxie
Urine Test Meme \u2014 Source Unknown
Facetime shot-connecting in quarantine-“[My daughter] proudly showing me her Animal crossing world she created with her daddy!” \u2014 Tiffany Hollums
B at Grocery Store \u2014 Harry Spirito<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"