I may have led you to believe in my last communication that I was done talking about medical masks. But since they have become such an integral part of the fabric of our evolving Pandemic society, and since they inhabit the worlds of both Cancer and Covid-19, I felt there was still a bit more "juice" to be squeezed out of this topic.
So, you know what I really don't like about wearing masks? No, it's not the way they make your glasses fog up. Nor is it the way some of them fit very loosely and barely seem to offer any protection, while some are as tight as a girdle on your proboscis. It's not the ring of exhalant vapor that builds up around your mouth and nose inside the mask; that's kind of a new breed of face sweat. And it's not even the self-imposed mask shaming that occurs when you see a cool one on someone else and you wish you were rocking more than a re-purposed winter scarf. So what is it already ?!? I don't like that you can't see that the person wearing the mask - is smiling.
We've lost the ability to reinforce our humanity through contact, and now we can't even pass along some warmth or kindness with a smile from 6 feet away. When I'm in the clinic, though conversation can often be limited, there is always the opportunity to offer a sympathetic and knowing grin greeting to the infusion buddy in the next treatment area, or the cancer cousin waiting just as long as you are in the lobby. And as we practice the distancing in social distancing, and come across a fellow guidelines follower, we could flash an appreciative smile for their compliance. But now even that innocent yet powerfully humane gesture has been snuffed. Yes, we can squint our eyes and attempt to convey the FRIENDLINESS within (behind), but it's never quite enough - and could lead to some uncomfortable misinterpretation.
Perhaps we need some kind of new gesture. Bikers have their nonchalant two-fingers-pointed-down wave for when they pass each other on the highways and byways. The peace sign has lost its 60's political connotations and simply seems to now say: hello and peace. And in a pinch, there's always the patriotic, respectful and universally accepted "salute." I say we borrow from our friends at ASL (American Sign Language) and adopt a modified version of the gesture for the word Smile. Since two hands are not always available, let's at least go with one index finger (that's the pointer) tracing the curvature of an IMAGINARY smile across the face - or in this case across the mask. So my friends: keep masking, keep smiling underneath, and let's start showing the happiness we are harboring - with hand gestures / sign language.
