Bundled up against the cold

I asked Margie how she feels about the end of the mask mandate, now set for March 31st in Oregon. 

“I love it. I can’t wait to get rid of these masks. They get hung up in my hearing aids and earrings. They make it harder for me to understand what people are saying. This pandemic has isolated us from each other, and after a year locked into my apartment, I can’t even go out in the street and look into human faces. It’s not enough for me to see eyes; I’m hungry for noses and lips, for jowls and frowns, for creases. For me, the isolation has been the worst part.”

I asked her if there have been any advantages for her.

“From the pandemic? Are you kidding? No!”