Like many of you, we ventured out to the grocery store this week. It had been awhile and we had not really missed it. When we were kids and went to the grocery store, it was a fun treat. We recall that when we grew older and moved out of our homes to live on our own, we rediscovered the grocery store. This included shopping on our own and paying at the checkout! There was a certain sense of freedom about it.
It seems that going out these days, at least in Florida, has become a bit of a challenge once again. We find ourselves well trained in mask cover up because now masks have become our standard “equipment” when leaving the house. It is not enough to have had the vaccine. That luxury lasted only a short time. The anti-vaxxers have spoiled our temporary high and we find ourselves in the 4th wave of this darn pandemic. As we still exercise our newly formed 2020 habits, we head to the store and, like little anti-covid soldiers, we know the drill and we carry on.
Although we had not gone to any indoor restaurants or events since the pandemic started, we decided two weeks ago that we would attend a free lecture by a well-known Physician at a local yacht club. When we arrived, to our surprise, we noticed that among the one hundred or so attendees, there were only about 5-6 who had masks on at this indoor event. And we were two of them. For a moment, we felt out of place but quickly remembered our commitment to remaining masked while in indoor public spaces. While awaiting the speaker, roving servers offered hors d’oeuvres from trays. We declined all offers as our masks remained on. Others did not decline the treats as they ate and drank like it was 1999. As we remained standing on the periphery, we were met with stares and looks from those unmasked celebrants as if we were committing a crime – masked bandits there to rob the evening of its denial of reality. As the program ended, we were happy to safely escape back home.
The night became just another memory until we received an email a week later. The email was from the event’s organizer alerting all attendees that someone who had attended the event had tested positive for Covid. He was fully vaccinated, was experiencing only mild symptoms, and was recovering at home. Oh surprise! Our email response to the organizer was clear and concise. To note, we were two of the handful of masked attendees there that night and were shocked that others were not. What would it have taken to show some leadership that evening and request that those attending wear masks? We asked that, in the future, he follow the science and require masks at such events. He graciously agreed and thanked us but the horse was already out of the barn!
We all have the power to be a leader even in some small way. Thumbs up to those who do that by wearing a mask even if you get that side-eye look while doing so. So be it. We don’t want even one day of feeling a little sick from Covid. Even though we have been vaccinated, we do not want to spread the virus to someone else, so that they can take it home to their families. We don’t want any part of this virus. And, because of this, our masks have become our faithful companions.
That evening at that event was an eye opener and reinforced our need to be grateful and express that gratitude by wearing a mask and protecting ourselves and others. Yes, we are all tired of this pandemic but the reality is that it is still with us and, pretending that it is not, only gets us into trouble. That event was a reminder that real leadership is bringing people together – safely.
