Five of us waiting parents have known one another through dance for at least three years and have had our daughters attend here for five years. But there we all were, waiting outside, and all of the other four parents had masks on. All were standing more than six feet away from one another. There was hardly any conversations, even after four months away from one another. I was carrying my facemask, but did not see the need to don it, as I was more than six feet from anyone plus we were outside, where coronavirus transmission is rare. Then, I had a question for another parent, so I put on my mask and walked over to her. She quickly moved away, seemingly in fear, as I approached. She's right, of course, that the mask isn't really that great of a safety measure. Unfortunately, it was physically impossible to carry on a conversation and be six feet apart, which is why I put on the mask and got nearer.
Anyway, it was weird seeing these friends acting with such fear. I'm pretty sure that one of the parents (me) is probably being exposed to different "propaganda" than the others are seeing and hearing. We each are convinced that what we see and hear is the truth. I'm not feeling the fear. They are. Not that it's not a deadly disease, but I'm also not one who flees from McDonald's in favor of vegan cuisine, either. Life has risks. I actually took a Metro train last Saturday!!!
Suffice it to say, the next day, I just stood far away and walked swiftly with my daughter to our car. It's a strange new world.
A masked face shares no smiles. . .
1 comment:
Reviewing some older posts and this one hit home. These ballet parent friendships began in earnest when one parent invited five or six families over for an August 2018 cookout. Rather than the quick five minute post-ballet chats, we had an entire evening to talk about lots of things that might get kind of deep. We survived that and even began Facebook friendships. One participant was so enthused, he created a special Facebook group for us!
Thus began a year of Friday night post-dance meals at restaurants within the area. Twenty of us, including the dance kids and siblings, would patronize sit down restaurants and spend a couple of hours with one another. Wow! Adult friendships that most of us hadn’t much experienced since the early days after college.
Sadly, the social isolation of the COIVD reaction gradually killed all the relationships, as can be seen in the initial reactions given when we finally were together again on that July afternoon.
Post a Comment