I choose not to get worked up by people who consider not wearing a mask to be the emblem of freedom-loving patriots. (I got that line, “freedom-loving patriot,” from an automated message left on our phone the other day by the Donald Trump campaign. We were encouraged to join other freedom-loving patriots at a Trump rally in New Hampshire to celebrate our president and how great our country has become in the last four years.)

It can’t be healthy to go around in a constant state of anger based on other people’s actions or lack of them; that’s got to be a strain on the immune system.

I like to think of mask-not-wearing as a helpful if unintended signal to everyone in the vicinity that here is a person who is likely doing little to avoid the virus. It’s a useful alert regarding their higher-probability-of-infection status.

I’m tempted to say, “Hey, thanks for letting me know!” But I want to keep my distance.

Ogden and Peggy Williams
Cape Elizabeth