I think by now, most of you know I try to be upbeat and positive whenever possible. I try to find the sunshine on the dreary days and I look for the good among the bad. I’m not gonna lie, this past year has tested my ability to focus on the good. Some days it feels like the hits just keep on coming and not in a good way. But, hopefully things are starting to turn around and the world is heading back toward “normal.”
Whether or not you choose to be vaccinated, whether or not you support the mask mandates, whether or not you believe the world should “open back up,” I think we can all agree that one of the things we all miss the most is the human element. I think this pandemic has brought about a sense of dehumanizing by denying us our instinctual desire to enjoy human contact and non-verbal expression and communication. Not everyone is a hugger, but most folks at least shake hands. And, at the very least, we offer smiles. That’s what I miss the most – smiles.
A smile can brighten someone’s day. A smile says, “I see you.” A smile conveys so much: I’m laughing with you; I feel your pain; I’m interested in you; I want you to smile back, it’s going to be okay. Forcing people to wear masks denies people the ability to silently communicate those simple yet powerful messages. When people wear masks, we only see eyes and, I don’t know about you, but I find that creepy. Just eyes everywhere. Watching. Staring. Or, even worse, looking away. People even avoid eye contact now, as if catching someone’s eye will automatically give them the plague. We’re losing touch with our humanity.
I anxiously await the day the damned masks go away. I miss entire faces. I miss handshakes. I miss hugs. But, mostly, I miss smiles. What do you miss most from the past twelve months of weirdness? Is there something equivalent to a smile that lets someone know you care? How do you let others know that you feel their pain when you can’t offer a smile? Are you ready to unmask and move freely about the country?
Word of the Day: Bibulous
Fun Fact about me: I never knew how much I enjoy having a fire in a fireplace or woodstove until I had to live without one. These past five and a half years have shown me that I really need to find a way to enjoy an open fire.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, March 2021. Images by Google.
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I smile a lot and through masks have learned that I rely heavily on what my smile conveys as far as communication goes. I always smile behind my mask at people and it’s kind of a blow to realize they can’t see it…although I do think my eyes crinkle when I smile, so there’s that. 🙂 Yup, I’m sooooo ready to be done with masks and social distancing.
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There are so many things a smile can convey. I know eyes are expressive too, but I wear glasses and I feel like my eyes aren’t noticed as much as my mouth is, especially when I’m outside because my lenses automatically darken in the sun so basically I’m wearing sunglasses and nobody can see what my eyes are saying. (sigh)
Anyway, I miss smiles. I patiently await the day we can share them again.
Enjoy the rest of your week. Keep smiling.
Patricia
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Totally agree that the weirdest thing about masks is smiling, and knowing people can’t see it! I give them a nod, and still smile as well, because they can see it in the eyes, but that’s just not the same. I’ve had enough of it too – who hasn’t? – but I’ll keep wearing the mask until the mandates are lifted, or if I’m with someone at high risk who hasn’t been vaccinated.
Also, this pandemic has made a lot of people bibulous (what a great word!).
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I’ve actually wondered why masks weren’t required at medical offices or hospitals all the time. I mean people are infectious there right? When I was getting chemo treatments and basically had no immune system, I wondered why guests were allowed to sit in the room with us. Funny how that works huh?
I do enjoy finding a great word of the day. I love it when people use them in their comments.
Have a great rest of the week. Keep on smiling.
Patricia
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Missed this somehow this week. My apologies.
You hit the nail on the head and I couldn’t agree more! I’m so into smiling, I wrote a poem about it 10 years ago as a resolution:
I’ll smile at a stranger and I’ll smile at a friend
I’ll smile many times each day until each day does end
I’ll smile over nothing and I’ll smile with good cause
I’ll smile at the greatness and I’ll smile at the flaws
I’ll smile at the failures, as well as all success
I’ll smile during good times and the times I’m feeling stress
My smile will be infectious and I hope it will allure
So that maybe all my smiles will some others soon procure.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
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I LOVE the poem. You ought to put some of your poetry into a collection and publish it.
Thanks for sharing. I needed this today. You’re always a ray of sunshine. Keep it up my friend.
Patricia
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