On the long list of things I hate about COVID-19, its hard to choose one to rant about. On a bad day, “This too shall pass” feels like a bumper sticker and begs the question WHEN?????????? Today’s rant is on the loss of seeing smiles.

Wearing a mask means we cannot see each other smile. No wonder children and dogs are afraid of us when we are wearing them. When we cannot read each other’s faces, we are missing a major form of communication. That’s scary. 

What do we lose when we cannot see smiles? The wonderful silent message I am sending when I smile at you. The one that says to a new mother in the grocery store “your baby is adorable”.  The silent support you send me when I am afraid in public and you hold my hand and your smile says “it’s OK, I am here.” There are many scenarios where talking isn’t appropriate or possible. Think church, in a classroom, at a funeral. Plus, it’s really hard to flirt when you can’t smile. I am seeing ads for masks that have a transparent section that allows you to see the wearer smile. A baby step in the right direction?

And another thing. Does anyone else find it ironic that the disposable paper masks for the virus come from the probable source of the virus itself? Based on the number of them I see trashed – in every parking lot – we will soon have a landfill made of blue paper. Two rants for the price of none.