It's Not Over Because You're Over It.

 

By R. Lee Poole

As I sit here, waiting for the Melatonin to start working, I have been reflecting on the last couple days. Retail is headed into the holiday season and it's supposed to be an exciting time for people to get their loved ones gifts and celebrate. Like everything else this year, it's going to be a weird one.

We're not opening on Thanksgiving night for midnight madness. I've been against opening so overfed, cranky people can fight over sale items since the onset. I just didn't think it would take a pandemic to shut it down. I figured folks getting trampled for bargain televisions would have done the trick. I underestimated the hunger for year-end profits. Tis the season to get back in the black ink and all that stuff.

This season promises to be one unlike any I've seen in the 16 holiday seasons I've worked at the mall. COVID-19 has taken most of the fun out of everything; including shopping. When we reopened in June, most of our customers were okay with complying with the requirements for masks and physical distancing. Lately, I've noticed people are starting to get lazy about protecting themselves and those around them. It started during the back-to-school season and has gotten worse as time goes by. Having a person at the door helped a great deal, but with both doors open, metering accurately is next to impossible. That kid keeping count also reminded people coming in to keep their masks on.

After six months of masking up before going into a business, it should be routine. No such luck. People come in from the food court, masks down and stuffing their faces like it's a normal day. I see masks down around their chins, uncovered noses like it's a normal day and there's nothing to be worried about. When we see them, we politely ask them to pull their masks up and help keep us all safer. Most of the time they get it and comply. Other times, we're met with indignation and contempt. It's like they're over the whole thing.

“It's hard to breathe with this mask on,” a woman told me as she dropped her stuff on my counter to cash out. Could it be the rhinestones all over it blocking the airway? I wonder. It really cracks me up when people complain about having to mask up in an enclosed space where physical distancing can be a challenge. “It's sooooo uncomfortable,” is another one that's getting threadbare with me. I've taken to telling them it's not as bad as a ventilator. “I'm asthmatic and wear a mask for nine hours a day,” I tell them. “If I can do it, you should be able to last twenty minutes in a store.” The complaining usually stops after that.

I see folks trying to get through their business while seemingly weighed down by a small piece of fabric. It makes my think about how today's citizens would have fared during a crisis like World War II or the Great Depression. I can't imagine how the instant gratification generation would cope with resource rationing. The mention of a possible second quarantine last week had people hoarding paper products again. Are they making forts out of toilet tissue and paper towels? Will two-ply stop the 'rona?

Time marches on...

So, it's December now. A couple days before Christmas, and the weight has gotten a little bit heavier on us all I think. Making a merry season while people are getting sick and dying doesn't really seem like the thing to do, does it? Then again, maybe a distraction is what we need from all of the mess of politics, sickness and other misery going on around us.

I managed to get my shopping done last week and the wrapping done today. Now all I'm just waiting for the holiday spirit to kick in. It usually does a day or two before Christmas. I've a feeling it will take until Christmas Eve for my inner elf to finally wake up and have his 12 cups of coffee to finally get working.

Regardless of when it happens, I hope you have to best season possible. Keep smiling and looking to a better tomorrow.

Election Day. Yay!

By R.Lee Poole

So here it is, November 3, 2020. The day Americans vote for the president and many other government officials across the nation.

If you listen to the campaigns, the soul of the country is at stake. The incumbent is making the same promises he made last time. Drain the swamp, put people back to work, remake healthcare, and on. His base is still eating it up like it was free pizza and wing night at the bowling alley. The challenger is bringing his best. He is calling out the lies, the lack of integrity, the leadership failures and all the other presidential flaws.

The back-and-forth has been like a car crash. You don't want to, but you can't help watching. Our national anxiety level is at a fever pitch. Incidents of intimidation have already been reported along the campaign trail. Even here in my home town, I watched a group of MAGA folks buzz through the parking lot of the early voting location with a decorated truck and trailer. They went right along the voter line well within 100 feet of the location. The cool thing was nobody near me got rattled. Folks just shrugged it off and continued waiting to make their voices heard. It was either a sense of solemn duty or the chill in the air. I couldn't tell.

That was last Saturday. Today, I've been putting myself in a limited social media and news blackout. Instead of doom scrolling Twitter and bouncing through the news, I'm keeping occupied to fight the anxiety of the day. I've done some chores, walked my dogs and am watching movies. More chores later and maybe a peek at the news.

I used to keep glued to the television and have multiple screens going on election night. That changed in 2016. I couldn't believe what was happening and feared what the reality show host and failed businessman was going to bring. In retrospect, I had no idea how divisive things would become. I never thought I'd tell people in 2020 that this isn't the country I served. The chaos, disregard for the constitution and rule of law have been mind-blowing.

Then the pandemic happened.

More than 200 thousand souls lost and our president is calling the scientists “idiots” and holding super-spreader events across the nation. This after many of his staff have contracted the virus that his base calls a hoax. We've heard promises it'll all go away, a vaccine is on the horizon and we're “turning the corner” on the virus. What's around the corner? A long, hard winter according to the experts. That means a spike kids. It's going to get worse before it gets better. If the incumbent remains in office, it will get much worse.

What I would like to see: A Biden/Harris victory, a sweep of the senate and retention of the house. It may be a pipe dream, but a kid can dream.

If it happens, there may be civil unrest, but my gut tells me we won't tumble into civil war. After the new administration will bring a feeling of calm back to us. The scientists will be trusted and the Defense Authorization Act will be brought into full action. Healthcare workers will be issued the PPE they need to protect themselves while treating the sick. We may even have a vaccine by the middle of next year. Supply chain issues may crop up, but I have faith we'll have it available to all at a reasonable or no cost.

Faith is what we all need to have. In ourselves, in each other, and in our democracy. If we don't, we're more screwed than we think.

 

Summertime Bummertime

  These are interesting times. Car-crash-interesting. You want to look away but can’t. The world is struggling to contain COVID-19, human rights protests are happening around the globe, and people are once again fighting police brutality. The American government is an unbridled shit show with an election for the soul of the nation happening in November. It’s a time for us all to do some soul searching and learn more about ourselves and the world around us. My eyes have been opened to a few things that have led me to look inward.

  I have been lucky to have had a career in the Navy where the only color people were was blue. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but working with folks of every color and background taught me to respect folks for their character and deeds rather than their race. I made friends and learned more about society in that microcosm than life in the civilian world would’ve taught me. It also set me up for culture shock when I transitioned into retirement. It makes me angry and uncomfortable when people get treated unfairly. We need an angry grandmother to knock some sense back into people with a wooden spoon. 

  COVID-19 is making matters worse all around. It amazes me that people are putting politics over science. People throwing tantrums and getting violent over being asked to wear a mask in a public area leaves me wondering what went wrong. It's no different than putting on a seatbelt when you get in a car. The people throwing infection parties are even more stupid. What's next? Hemlock tasting parties? My only hope is when the dust settles from all of this, more people who believe in science and compassion have survived than the people who don't. 

  My favorite conspiracy theory is that nose wires in mask are 5G antennae that give you the 'rona. Human capacity for stupidity is boundless. This is proof. 
  The pandemic has also made us put a bunch of new procedures in place. We’re metering customers, have health guards up at the registers, hand washing stations at the entrance, and are practicing physical distancing. We disinfect after every transaction. It’s a little bothersome, but better safe than sick. Honestly, I’m happy to have customers back in the store. I missed the social interaction. For the most part, customers have been understanding when it cones to the be sanitation protocols. I’m grateful not to have had a bad situation yet.
  During quarantine, I stayed at home for about six weeks with severely limited trips to make supply runs. Being a natural introvert, isolation didn’t really have much impact. I caught up an binging Netflix and did some heavy gaming. Shopping was a major activity too. The challenge was keeping it limited to what was needed and not impulse buying. The wife and son stayed occupied doing their stuff and things. My son worked from home for a stretch. The dogs and cats did their best to help him every day around the time his video calls were happening. It was an adjustment for all of us. He’s back at his office now, and I’m back at the store. The missus is still waiting to go back to work.
    The one thing I have really mixed emotions about lately is social media. I use Twitter more often than Facebook and Instagram. Lately it seems like any look is a look into the abyss of toxicity people are wallowing in. I’ve been un-following and scrubbing my friends list much more than I ever expected to. I can’t take the craziness some folks are radiating. It’s as if being behind a screen gives them permission to rip apart folks with different opinions. Not having it on my timeline is liberating.
  There are bright spots though. Some folks out in the Twitterverse I’ve never met in the real world, have been helping me stay sane. Katie O’Shaughnessy, @katieshox, is my favorite person on the internet. Her reaction videos for “The Walking Dead” on YouTube are a near perfect blend of character and story analysis and delightfully wicked sarcasm. She’s also taken the time to chat about the state of the world with genuine concern. Give her a follow and a watch. You’ll be happy you did. Katie’s a gem.  Vernon Reid, @vurnt22, isn’t just a brilliant guitarist with Living Color, his knowledge of music and popular culture are unmatched. From movies and comics to music, I enjoy seeing his point of view. Lou Diamond Phillips @LouDPhillips, has turned into the goofy uncle we all need. Always engaging and fun with his followers, he’s quick with a dad joke or a cat photo. The Dollyrots, @theDollyrots, are a family-friendly punk, pop, rocking good time of a band. If you’re not following them or listening to their music, you’re missing out.   
  Since I started writing this about three weeks ago, the mall interior stores have been allowed to open. It's been a learning experience for all involved. Folks don't get why some of the stores aren't open yet. They are opening as their companies allow, and they don’t e-mail me daily updates. I’m just a guy selling shirts and jeans. Oh, and please pull your mask up off your chin. It’s not doing any good down there..
  The “new normal” we hear so much about isn’t better, isn’t worse, it’s just different. I tell myself this so often it’s becoming a mantra.  Until there’s a vaccine, people following safety measures, and a government that shows leadership instead of cans of beans, we’ll be stuck here.  While we’re stuck here, keep hanging tough. Establish a routine, include time for meditation and try to get exercise. You may want to limit the amount of news you watch too. Seeing then death toll from the pandemic, the cesspool of politics, and the unkindness in the world can bring you down. If you’re in bumming, reach out to family and friends. They can give you an emotional lift.
  Most of all, we should all try to be more like Ringo Starr and spread peace and love every chance you get. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and love each other.