While I competed in pageants in my teens and early twenties, my earrings were an important component of my attire. If I left home without earrings, I had kept an extra pair in my car, just in case. That habit followed me through my professional career.

Now that I am happily retired, and the COVID Pandemic limits my whereabouts, I find myself heading out without earrings most of the time. When I go inside the destination, I am going to put on my mask anyway. What a relief these days not to have to worry about that jewelry I never left home without for decades.

I want to encourage all readers to view your mask as a blessing instead of as a burden. Your mask might just save you from a serious strain of virus sifting in the air. Your mask might just shield you from a stray sneeze from a stranger passing by you unexpectedly. Your mask may even keep you from passing the deadly virus to your loved ones, unbeknownst to you.

Mask-up! You won't necessarily have to wear earrings if you are a female or trim your beard if you are a guy. And you might just happen to save some lives.

Evelyn Dove Coleman