Behind the masks, Day 18

Tuesday, March 31

Today was the first time I made a trip to Costco since we began social distancing 18 days ago. Back on Day One, I wrote about my husband’s experience waiting in long lines and the rush to grab paper towels. I wasn’t sure what to expect now that people aren’t as frantic about stocking up on groceries.

It had already been a hard day, in general. As the kids started trying to sort through their class assignments and the realization set in that we are in this for at least four more weeks (and probably longer), the mood around our house was somber. I typically work from home on Tuesdays, which is a treat and a day that I’m super productive in my own little private home office. But now that working remotely has become the norm, I struggled all day to concentrate or come up with any creative ideas. We were all craving some human interaction.

By 3 p.m., I decided to just call it a day and take a rare trip out of the house to go grocery shopping. Feeding six people three meals a day has required far more groceries than usual.

It was sobering to walk around the store and see so many people wearing masks. It reminded of me of scenes I had watched on the news of other countries dealing with a major outbreak of a rare illness. But it wasn’t something I had experienced before in my community.

Throughout the store, signs reminded shoppers to stay six feet apart. The checkout lines were marked with tape showing you where to stand to keep enough distance between others who were waiting. Costco typically has a frantic pace of people rushing to get past each other in the crowded store. Today, people were stopping to allow other shoppers to cross their path from a distance. It actually felt far more civil than usual.

As I intersected with other shoppers, I tried to still smile and say, “Hello.” When people are wearing masks, it creates a very ominous look. With faces covered, it’s impossible to read facial expressions. I wondered if people were really as mad as they looked or if that was just the impression created by the masks.

I should have taken more photos in the store. I only took a photo of this super cute set of hand soaps. The set was only $10, which I thought was a great deal. And hey, it’s just exciting to be able to buy hand soap again… not to mention in a cute bottle.