Why I’ll Likely Continue to Wear My Mask

So, the world is opening up again and it is no longer mandatory in Maryland if you were vaccinated to wear a mask. But, yall know me, I’m probably going to keep wearing mine because….. people.

I Am Vaccinated

I got my Johnson and Johnson *gasp* vaccination early in May because I like one and done. I don’t have time to be making appointments to get two shots. However, although I am vaccinated, there are reasons that I choose to stay masked up. This has everything to do with my mental illness and utter dislike for people. I’m sorry, but I don’t “people” well.

Can You Tell Me to Smile While Wearing a Mask?

NOPE! Can’t tell me to smile. Now, I am good at smizing (as Tyra Banks has said) but I don’t really want to smile at you or any of that. I don’t smile when asked. I frown actually because I am a witch. Yes, I am a witch to not walk around all day smiling. SOOOO what I decided to do was to get a mask that would just get rid of that stupid request.

People Still Won’t Leave You Alone

Listen, no matter what you do, these dudes are going to try to find a reason to say something to you. I don’t know what it is because I literally dress like a trash person to avoid people. I go out early in the morning to avoid people. But, there’s always that one that has to say something to you anyway.

I was actually told (with my mask on) that I have a nice aura. Sorry sir, my aura is to get people away from me. I don’t want you talking to me. I don’t want to interact with you. I want to get my groceries and go home. You don’t know what I look like under this mask. So that’s great. I could look like trash and that’s okay. Pass me by please.

Don’t Question Whether I Got the Shot or Not

I think this is my main reason for continuing to wear my mask. I went to my bestie’s daughter’s graduation party a few days ago. I don’t have a problem not wearing my mask there because they know that I have been vaccinated (although some gasped when I said I got the J&J vaccination. Listen, if you don’t have a clotting problem, there is no issue. If you do, take some dang on aspirin which is a blood thinner and move on with your life).

My dad and mom even got the same vaccination (which it took an act of God to get them to do). I would like for my daughter to get the shot but she is 15 and, at the age of 2, it took a number of people to hold her down for her vaccinations. I am waiting for J&J to approve it for kids her age because I really don’t want her to fight the people when they give her the vaccination because there literally is ONE person that gives it.

With her having an intellectual disability, she’s not gonna want to do it. I know this because I have lived with her her whole life. She hates shots, and I don’t want her to move and mess anything up. So, if I can hold her down for the ONE shot, I would rather do that than for two. I have literally fought the girl before so I can attest to how strong she is. She gets it from her mom and the shot isn’t painless. It took a lot for me to even get her to let them take blood.

Back to Me Though

Listen, I don’t want to be questioned. Some people feel that they are in a position to question people and whether they got the shot or not. Because I KNOW my triggers, I try to avoid things that will set me off. One thing that will set me off is some random person questioning whether I have been vaccinated or not. It won’t turn out good and I don’t like jail nor the psych ward. So I will leave my mask on for the time being for my own sanity. I don’t go out much and, if I do, it’s usually to walk the dog and no one comes near us so that’s not an issue.

I’ve always been a fan of minding my own business. If a person doesn’t want to wear their mask and they aren’t vaccinated, it’s their life. I don’t have anything to do with it. COVID is out here killing people though. So, if they don’t care, I don’t care. I am responsible for TWO people in this world and that’s my daughter and myself. So, while I will make sure she wears her mask, I don’t care about anyone else. She and I had COVID before they knew what it was back in 2019. I am sure we likely have antibodies. And, even when she had “strep and the flu”, she was still walking around here like it was nothing. The child has had walking pneumonia before and you wouldn’t know it. The only way I knew she was sick when they diagnosed her with strep and the flu was when I hugged her and it was like hugging fire. That’s when I took her to urgent care and the docs were like “We’ve had a lot of kids with this.” My COVID came in the form of a sinus infection that took like a month to go away. My PCP said “Yeah, we’ve had a lot of people with this.” It was likely COVID. But, even still, I got the shot because that mess mutates.

If my daughter is able to get the J&J one, I will gladly hold her down (and ask for help) for her to get it. But the shot isn’t a joke. Getting poked isn’t the hard part. It’s the insertion of the actual vaccine. That mess hurt. I was like “Goodness, lady!” LOL

My issue didn’t come until like a week after I got the shot though although I can’t be sure that it wasn’t just my horrible PMS headaches but I wasn’t able to get out of the bed for about 2 days. Whether it was the vaccine or PMS, I don’t know (because I get really bad headaches) but I also had body aches that were pretty bad so who knows if it was COVID or whatever.

Bottom Line:

I’ll continue to wear my mask because….. people. I don’t like people. I don’t like to talk to people. I don’t like to smile at people. I don’t like to have to explain myself to people. I have a temper. I know my triggers. So it’s best that I wear my mask until the masses stop wearing theirs and it’s no longer a question as to whether I have gotten vaccinated or not. Yeah, I have my paperwork in my wallet but not one of these folks out here besides my doc needs an explanation.

Again, as a person with bipolar disorder, I have to understand my triggers and why doing things a certain way helps to relieve the violent tendencies I have. You have to know yourself out in these streets because NOT knowing yourself can be very detrimental.