May 30, 2020: Whudya Gonna Do?

Standing in line for the Farmers Market this morning (not too long a line because we woke up to thunderstorms), I was wearing my mask, as the Market urges everyone to do, and catching up with things on my phone. I had time to listen to Cuomo give a press conference thanking front line workers, one of those poignant reminders of what leadership sounds like. 

I had time for Trevor Noah in a fine think piece about the social contract and the dominoes of racial injustice. (I’m not going to pontificate on the past few days, as I think a lot of people have more valuable insights than I do. But if you want to watch Trevor thinking deeply, I found this video moving.)  

And I had time to read posts from thoughtful local leaders, one of which made me misty. You do not want to get misty when wearing a mask and glasses.

And then I was through the entrance and there was the Market, which I haven’t seen since last year, and it was all so beautiful, but I piercingly missed former Saturdays, going there with friends and family. I teared up for a second, and my nose started to run, and I had no Kleenex. But I remembered the soon-to-be-immortal saying of my friend Tom (you will find yourself quoting him, mark my words):

If you constantly wear your heart on your sleeve, whudya gonna do when you need to wipe your nose?

I know the answer!

Whudya gonna do is, you’re gonna inconspicuously wipe your nose with the inside of your mask. And then your whole face is gonna be wet with snot, AND your glasses are gonna be fogged up, AND you are gonna be entirely damp and unsavory… but No One Will Know! That’s the beauty part! With a hat and a mask and (fogged up) glasses and a raincoat, people can see the bridge of your nose and maybe your earlobes. That’s it! Everything else is your secret!