Pandemic Burnout

Some days I believe I am getting a solid enough handle on my mask phobia to lose a bit of the paranoia attached. It's been some odd months since I've had a meltdown when forced to speak to a maskite. I've been able to manage a bit of the hearing issues by closing my eyes so I can better focus on the sound. In the absence of lips to read, my vision has no purpose in the conversation, so removing the visual distractions makes it easier to interpret the mask muffle. More and more I visualize myself listening to a drive thru speaker during masked encounters. Poor sound quality is nothing new. Even without the mask muffle, some people speak more clearly than others.

Last night was open house at the elementary school the two elder children attend. Most of the faculty there is thrilled to have the return of community support. Last year was rough on these unsung heroes. They tell me that this year's show of community volunteers has had an unprecedented turnout. Both children and parents seem to have a newly heightened appreciation for the value of real-time education. Not too many children in the 21st century need still more video time.

The now reflexive social distancing from maskites felt calm enough that I was able to actually think and observe as I watched the remaining maskites from my safe social distance. That new-to-me label, "Pandemic Burnout" kept floating through my head throughout the evening. Methinks the term can be applied to both sides of the masked divide. Whichever side you have placed your faith in, both sides are sick of hearing about ^IT^. Neither side can say anything which hasn't already been over-said. Can we talk about something else now?

Today I leave the mood icon squarely on okay. Not great, but okay. Methinks I'm holding steady through the storms.