Social Distancing Week 17…Seriously,WTF?!

Friday, June 10, 2020…3:48pm

17 weeks in and no end in sight.

I’m writing this as I sit outside the hair salon (masked up) waiting for my daughter. As California has seen a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in the past week, I won’t be surprised if we are rolled back to a stricter at home orders in the near future. So we’re taking advantage of what may be a sweet spot – enough weeks have passed since the salon reopened that they aren’t swamped, but it seems possible it will be another 5 months before we’re able to get the girl in for her beloved blue streaks and a trim.

So I’m masked up. But as I look around, lots of people still aren’t. The hair salon sits on the edge of an area that is home to small stores and restaurants. It’s walking distance to the beach. I’ve seen half a dozen people walk out of stores and immediately take off their masks – even though the sidewalks are far from empty. I’ve seen a group of five teenage boys skateboard past me, no masks. I’ve seen a couple of people leave an outdoor area of a coffee shop – no masks while they were sitting at the coffee shop and no masks when they left.

I sincerely don’t understand.

I’ve lost count of the number of times per day that I either think or exclaim out loud..”WTF”

I’ve realized this week how much truth there is in the statement “common sense ain’t so common.” It isn’t. For that matter neither are common decency, common knowledge, or a belief in the common good. It’s an exhausting truth that has been proved over and over again this week – by people “protesting” on our closed beaches over the weekend declaring their “rights” to be on the beach and to not wear masks, by demands for schools to be opened even if the health and safety of staff and students can’t be guaranteed, by people complaining about having to stand in lines to enter stores, by people so self consumed they don’t seem to stop and consider their “needs” are at odds with the health and well being of the community around them.

Seriously, WTF.

And to be clear…I’m almost never condensing that thought to the three letters. It’s coming out of my mouth in fully formed words and with strong emphasis.

And at this exact moment in time – as I sit in the sunshine, in public, wearing my mask and watch lots of people going about their life without a mask and without social distance – WTF is the nicest thing I can think of to say. I don’t tend to lack for words. But right now WTF is the best I can do.

Be well my friends.