Two years into the pandemic and two years of mask wearing and yet, I still maintain my decades old habit of putting on lipstick or at least some gloss before leaving the house. Silly, right? I think some women are lipstick women and some women are mascara women and it is just hard to change such a firm habit or belief about what helps you put your best foot or face forward. Years ago a good friend told me she never leaves the house without putting on mascara, even if it is just to go to the gym or grocery store. For me, eye makeup is for a special occasion — when I get all dressed up, perhaps for a wedding or party … (which is certainly not happening often these days). But I always put something with a bit of moisturizer and s little bit of shine on my lips. Otherwise, my lips feel so chapped and I feel that I look so pale. So even though no one can see my mouth or smile, I continue to wear lipgloss. It is a bit of normality during otherwise strange and difficult times. However, I think my friend with her loyalty to mascara comes out ahead during these pandemic days… we’ve been told to “smile with our eyes.” On the other hand, I think, I hope, that with the decline of the omicron variant, and warmer spring weather in the next few months, perhaps we will be able to shed our masks. When that happens, I will splurge and buy new lip sticks!
February 6, 2022
For the last few weeks I have mostly been staying in my neighborhood which I really like-- lots of trees, people walking, shops and restaurants open, the park, etc. However, a few times recently I have gone down to Mid-town and it has really scared and depressed me. Everything is empty and shops are closed. Poor people roaming around-- homeless lying in the streets. Storefronts boarded up with graffiti and it just seems like a ghost town of the apocalypse. So many empty buildings and it feels like a hopeless and abandoned place. I feel lucky that I don't live down in that area... I would've had a totally different COVID experience. I've been sheltered uptown where things are still pretty nice and life is somewhat normal. I worry and wonder when the whole city will be able to come back... maybe it will never be what it was. Could it maybe be better? What if we knocked down all those buildings and planted a forest or garden?
August 27, 2020