Tag Archive | masks

Masks and Omicron

Dec26

 

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I’ve graduated from wearing cloth masks to boring surgical masks

The blue ones still remind me of hospitals

So, I have the black version

They are disposable but can be worn more than once

No washing necessary as before but 

I still leave the form of my lipsticked lips inside them

The down side of masks is that it’s hard to hear others talk

It’s hard to to be heard

My smile can’t be seen 

They are inconvenient, but

Masks are essential during these times

The N95 variety preferably 

Omicron is not playing games

It definitely means business

These years will be remembered as masked years 

A few weeks turned into a few months, and now a few years

If there were more unity among us

Life would have been simpler

But some don’t see it that way

They don’t want to be told what to do

They don’t want to conform

They question science 

They don’t trust the experts

Countries need to cooperate too

We are not isolated entities anymore

What happens in one country will affect the other ones 

Unless we come together and be united in our thoughts

Unless we are mindful of the influence of our actions on others

We will be wearing masks for a while longer

This is our reality right now

What we do affects the outcome 

December 26th, 2021

Back again

Nov3

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I’m at one of my favourite places, the coffee shop

Where I read and write and have time to myself

The place where I recharge my batteries

Things are not the same as before

We still wear masks

We still sanitize 

And now we show our covid passports

But we can have coffee with friends now

The conversation is lively at the tables next to me

Whereas a few months ago I may be one of the two people staying for coffee

Everyone seemed to take coffee to go

I don’t come to the coffee shop as often as before though

Albert has been working from home, and we have our morning coffee together

I try to write at home

But there are always distractions

The coffee shop allows me to focus 

And stay in my own world as long as I need

No one interrupts me

The door bell does not ring

No one asks me questions and derail the train of my thought

I need this solitude to write

I’m grateful for another visit to the coffee shop 

November 3rd, 2021

Continue reading →

How much longer

Sep6

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Stay two meters away from each other

Don’t visit people at their homes in big numbers

Don’t fill up the coffee shops

Only so many people allowed

Sounds anti-social, doesn’t it?

But it’s our reality now and we can’t let our guard down yet

The variants are rampant

Areas that are doing well suddenly flare up

Where you can fly to and not fly to keeps changing

Some countries, you can visit only in groups

The sanitizer bottle is omnipresent

Masks still adorn our faces

How much longer?

That’s a good question

It depends a little on how much 

Responsibility we will take in combating this disease

Some people still deny its existence

They refuse to wear masks and socially distance

Vaccines are out of the question for them

And on the other hand

There are countries that are having a challenge

Vaccinating a population that wants to be vaccinated

It’s a messy and dangerous situation 

The hospitals are filled to capacity

The medical staff work long hours and are tired

So politicians try to give people incentives to get vaccinated

Money, lotteries, gifts, whatever they can think of

It’s a strange, strange world we live in

One we could not have imagined two years ago

September 6th, 2021

Post traumatic growth

Jun22

 

 

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As quarantine rules loosen

We are still left with the remnants

No shaking hands or hugs

No big gatherings where you can sing and talk

Travelling is much different than before

Shopping with masks on seems odd

 

But we are the masked people for now

Whether we like it or not

And keeping two meters away is what I’ll try to do

But it’s so cold and unfriendly too

 

the challenging part is that there’s no end in sight

We will have to live like this for months

Something I thought was temporary

Has become a way of life

 

No use to pine after the life that was

The only choice we have now is to adapt

And accept that this is what it is for now

 

These are extraordinary times

Ones for the history books

All I hope is that when it’s done

We’ll have experienced some post-traumatic growth

 

June 22nd, 2020

Mask?

Apr24

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To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

First they said, don’t wear a mask 

We need them for the health care workers

That made sense

Then they said why don’t you make home made masks?

“Not all of us can sew!”

They said use a bandana

“That would look wired”

They said you can buy one on line

“That I can!”

 

The masks arrived after a few days

They looked cute

But for some reason I didn’t want to wear them

 

My smile tells people I’m friendly

My smile communicates warmth and love

My smile can brighten someone’s day

My smile makes me feel good inside

 

How am I supposed to let people know I’m smiling at them

If my mouth is covered with a mask?

I could paint a smile on my mask

But that would look awfully creepy

 

Some people wear masks

Others don’t 

If everyone did, it would be easier

So, I continue to wonder

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

 

April 24th, 2020

The masks we wear

May15

The more similar we are on the outside
To who we are inside
The freer we will feel

The masks we sometimes wear
Get heavy
And we may feel like we are dragging
Our feet

The problem is that we can get so used to
The masks we wear
That we can forget who we are underneath

I’m learning to throw away the mask of pretense
I feel lighter
More authentic

I won’t be afraid of showing my truth
The real me
Those who love me will stay anyway

Pretending takes a lot of energy
It’s tiring
It’s stressful
I understand why people wear a masks
Because I have worn them
But I also know how refreshing it feels
To feel the wind on my face

 
April 6th, 2016