Mask Day + Exciting Announcement
The CDC announced today that vaccinated people can ditch their masks, indoors and outdoors. Though there are caveats and some exceptions for now (e.g. traveling on planes), the news landed like the announcement of the end of a war. So I thought I would blog on this important day to memorialize it. I have gotten used to wearing masks, and honestly in some areas I am not eager to ditch it even though I am fully vaccinated (May 5th was my walk-out-of-COVID-jail day). Anyone reading this long after I am gone would be wise to remember some context around today’s announcement: The COVID virus is still killing tens of thousands of people, mainly in developing countries. Virus variants threaten to upend progress, and many Americans are not getting vaccinated, making the so-called “herd immunity” objective a faint dream for epidemiologists. Scientists now say, “We’ll have to learn to live with COVID”. Much like the “regular” flu, which, by the way, killed 2,000 – 61,000 annually since 2010. It’s a bit of apples and oranges comparison for sure, but the point is, we Americans seem to tolerate predictable deaths for certain aflictions that are preventable. So, happy maskoff day!
In “Manners” book news, I remain delighted with its continued positive reception. The book seems to have struck a nerve with people who share my aspiration for a manner’s renaissance. Personally, the biggest messaging challenge is to persuade younger people to see this work as an opportunity for growth and deep insight into themselves and human interaction and to learn skills that I believe will serve them well. The challenge is for me to remain humble and check my own righteousness so as to not turn people off by the “M.O.M” syndrom (Minister of Manners).
I am also excited to announce that I will officially roll out two products related to “Manners.” I will be offering, for a notional cost, a set of 8 book markers, each with a different “Momma’s Rule” and a different photo of my mother. I will also offer, in honor of my mother’s ironclad rule of acknowledging any gift she received with a handwritten thank you note, a set of 8 thank you notecards. The words “Thank You” will be on the envelop and on the front of the notecard in my mother’s own handwriting. The back side of the notecard has a photo of Momma and her “Eight Cardinal Rules of Life.” Look for the bookmarkers and the thank you stationery on this website hopefully by July 2021, just in time for all the HS and college graduates to write their thank you’s!