Masks

Today was sunny and warm, we had the windows open and could hear birds chirping. It made a big difference to my mood.

Aside from a minor meltdown in the morning the kids were fairly cooperative and agreeable today which made an enormous difference - it was actually possible to get some work done without constantly worrying about them. My mom continued an awesome art project with my daughter via FaceTime which is really exciting to watch - my daughter's academics may not be progressing as much as we'd really like, but her art education is doing great.

I did leave the house today for PT, the first time I've been out since the recommendation to wear a mask came through. Wearing a mask is a strange feeling - it's uncomfortable both physically and emotionally. I don't like how I feel my breath and how it threatens to fog my glasses. I also don't like the physical reminder of how scary the world is right now.

It's especially jarring to me because I've always loved masks. I collect them on my travels, I make them for halloween, I display them in my home. But this new kind of mask is not one I like. My wife made them over the weekend, and we chose pretty fabrics to make it a little more palatable, but there's no way around it - the masks are a symbol of our corrupt government's failure to contain this disease.

I was surprised when I was out that not that many people on the street were wearing masks. I guess it probably isn't necessary if you're far away from other people, but I kept mine on nevertheless the whole time I was out of the house. I know it doesn't offer much protection, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something no matter how much it may grate on me.