I sit here writing this in a mountain of tissues, sipping my hot tea. I’m sick, again, and I know masks are to blame.
Like many of us, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with masks over the last two years. I stayed fairly neutral during the great mask debate, seeing both their benefits and disadvantages. I was thrilled to ditch our masks last month, embracing the new freedoms we’d long hoped for.
My kids can now see their friends’ smiles and read their teachers’ lips. They no longer have to sweat through masks in gym class or basketball practice. I was so happy for them and us until illness hit our house like a ton of bricks.
Exactly two weeks after masks were dropped, my family started dropping like flies. I know many of you have similar stories! As our bodies readjust to mask-free life, we are catching each and every virus.
First, my husband, a teacher, brought home a cold, followed by a sinus infection. My daughter caught his cold, followed by another one weeks later. I am currently battling a sinus infection accompanied by a never-ending headache. And my son is typically sneezing and snotting due to severe allergies, so we’re never quite sure what’s going on there.
Could it be that I miss masks? Did we drop the masks too soon? A case of COVID is running through my son’s class, taking them down one by one. My only solace is knowing how mild the cases have been.
I have always battled seasonal depression. The one-two punch of a lingering winter and running a sick house has been a lot! I find myself longing for spring this year more than ever!
Finally my body is doing what it’s supposed to! Get sick and recover. Should we mask forever? Absolutely not.