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Confronting an Anti-Masker — 3 Traits I Learned About Myself
How did it come to this?
I wrote this in January of 2021 and I dug it out of my story morgue since COVID-19 (JN.1 variant) seems to be rearing its ugly head again.
But this story was incomplete — I needed to put in the life lessons I learned from this confrontation.
Let’s start with some background before I get into the events of today. I live in Wake County, North Carolina. Our COVID-19 statistics for January 21, 2021 were:
- 749,000 reported cases in North Carolina
- 66,925 cases as of 2021, which is an increase of 2,449 cases
- 448 deaths — plus one for the day
This Saturday started with a typical morning routine — however, today, I needed to take Annie — our 6-year old female Chiweenie (a mutt that’s a combination of a chihuahua and a dachshund), to get her nails clipped. It’s a monthly ritual that’s become less of an ordeal as she has become older.
After I lured her into the car, we went to a place called “Dazzling Dogs” in a strip mall one mile from our house. Annie is usually very nervous, so she rides on my lap and anxiously looks out the window. I acknowledge that it’s not entirely safe, and I look ridiculous for the quick five-minute ride — but my wife can’t…