Today I left the house to donate blood at a blood drive held at our church.
Due to the “social distancing” rules in place there were a few more safeguards and restrictions in place – one of which “masks required.”
I completely understand the necessity. However, this was the first time I had to wear a mask and I was uneasy about it in the sense of just not knowing how it would feel, what to expect.
In case this has not become abundantly clear in my previous posts about expectations and not knowing, planning and control and knowing exactly what I am getting into is a pretty big anxiety point for me.
As I got out the car to check in, I put on my mask and did not take it off until I was done giving blood and was sitting away from the other people, by myself having a little snack. So all in all, I had my mask on for about an hour.
I was surprised how easy it was to still speak with people, to smile, to tell when they were smiling back. The initial awkwardness I felt putting on the mask soon dissipated. Everyone was required to wear one so there was also this group feeling of all of us being in this together.
A couple of other observations – I reached for my face even more while wearing the mask and for the first 20 minutes at least, it felt kind of suffocating. There was plenty of breathing room but just the feeling of a cover over my nose and mouth was suffocating. Fortunately that went away along with the awkwardness. However, it felt great to take it off once I got outside and back in my car!
After I got home I had a second snack – a yummy Krispy Kreme donut. I had surprised the girls earlier that morning with Krispy Kreme delivery – a dozen strawberry glazed, strawberry creme filled and a box of mini assorted. They hit the spot for all of us!