COVID and masks

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This has been building over a period of time, and I have been very uncomfortable wearing masks, being around people in masks, and getting worse. It was pointed out to me, today that I have not been out of the house in over two months. I used to like going out and about. I liked taking pictures of the things I found while out (hence my handle).

It is the eyes. All I see of people are their eyes. I don't look at people's eyes. I look at their faces. Now they are covered up. Everyone is a stranger to me.

How do people deal with this?

Think of us people who need to lipread.

Typically for a short-sighted person, I recognize people by the way they move.

And noses. I look at people's noses and remember them. I wasn't aware of it before the masks.

Typically I wear an N95 mask. It is a little harder to breath than normal cloth mask but I endure and suffer. I wear blue mirrored tinted glasses. So people cannot even see my eyes. I am essentially invisible.

I am up and about all the time. I have been to stores hundreds of times. Since the lockdown ended over 6 months ago, I have been to the movie theater many times and watched 15 films so far. I have been to the YMCA. I have eaten at restaurants, but I only eat outdoors. I go to church weekly. The threat is primarily an indoor threat. I live my life as close to normal as I can. The N95 keeps me safe.

Having said that because of the blue tint, I project a happy image, sort of like Casper the Friendly Ghost.



Interesting trivia:
How did Casper the Friendly Ghost die?
According to the film, Casper was a twelve-year-old boy living in Whipstaff Manor with his inventor father J.T. McFadden until he died from pneumonia after playing out in the cold until it was past nightfall.

I thought masks are great for aspies and introverts, aren't they? My son doesn't know how he lived without masks before. I myself only go out to do grocery shopping, so I wasn't looking at people much anyway. Too busy looking at food and grabbing them quickly, don't want to block any aisle for too long. The only problem I have with masks is they're so hot. I'm a hot blooded person and never wear a hat or scarves, masks make me too warm.

When I was young my parents told me it was polite to look at people when I was talking to them. They never said anything about looking in the eyes.

I think I just see the mask as part of a person's face. I'm kind of faceblind so seeing a full face without the mask wouldn't help me much; if I know them well enough to recognize them then the mask probably won't fool me.

I love masks. I've ordered myself a few from Amazon yesterday.

If one DOESN'T wear a mask where I am, one stands out like a sore thumb.

Can't say that I blame them.

Because of the pandemic, my immediate family and I are now used to wearing masks.

Where I live, we legally are required to wear them outside of our homes. I personally feel neutral about them. I don't tend to look at people's faces when I'm out aside from at doctor's appointments, so that's not a problem for me. My only real issue is that my glasses fog up when I am wearing one. I'm thinking of ordering a spray online though that could help with that.

I never felt the need to look people in the face nor have I felt the need to see what their faces look like.

My glasses fog up and I pull the mask from my mouth when I talk because it's hard to hear myself and I don't think the other person can understand me. It's like a hand being over your mouth and it's hard to speak. Plus the mask keeps slipping down showing my nose so I am sure I look like a Karen.