Did you recognize me?

I have a hard time with faces sometimes. I don’t know why that is.

Whenever someone changes hair color or wears a hat, helmet, or an N95 mask to possibly keep their risk of getting COVID-19 lower, sometimes I do not know who I am talking to. That last one was pretty specific. I can relate to wearing a mask when entering a store or gas station around town, which leads me to ask, did you recog-nize me?

The obvious answer is yes! I stand out like a sore thumb. I have long dreadlocks, stand at six-feet-one and weigh a little more than 250 pounds. Oh yeah, my skin is the tone of a milk chocolate candy bar!

At one point, it seemed as though I was one of the few walking around with a mask on. I wonder what the first reactions to it were. “Did you see Pierre?” “Maybe he is sick!” “I wonder why he has that thing on.”

For me, I tend to associate a mask with someone being sick, rather than being de-fensive. I remember during a basketball game, seeing someone with a mask and I wondered the same thoughts. Turns out that person was way ahead of us. If you walk in the local grocer, you will see at least ten masks. Did you recognize the per-son behind the mask? I honestly did well with recognizing faces this past week, but when things change with someone’s appearance, it may take me a second.

I was happy to see that people are taking this thing seriously because I know that if I were to get someone sick that couldn’t recover from COVID-19, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. To everyone being safe out there, I salute you. I applaud you for considering others and please be safe so that I can see you on the other side of this thing.

The boys have adjusted well to their new schedule, but there has been plenty of disdain expressed by Lincoln. PJ has lost both of his two front teeth and I barely recognized him! I’m kidding, but the “All I Want for Christmas” jokes have com-menced.