The Wife and I went out last night, the second time we've been out for a 'proper' night out in the last 4 weeks. The first time, full mask wearing was the norm, but last night, well, that was a completely different kettle of fish.
So, we live in a busy seaside town and there were plenty of people out last night, obviously a large percentage of which were holiday makers. We went to a seafront restaurant, it was packed and for the most part, not a mask in sight. Many of the diners were middle aged plus it had to be said. A couple of people after sitting within fairly close proximity of people they clearly didn't know, then put on a mask to walk to the toilet, filing past a restaurant full of people with whom they'd already been in close proximity to, so the mask wearing was pretty much a pointless exercise.
Anyway, we left the restaurant and we went to into a pub with a live band performing. The bar wasn't particularly packed, but of course no one was wearing a mask because they were all trying to enjoy the atomosphere.
And then there was the bus journey home. We got onto a double decker over half full. Very few people including the driver, wore a mask. The Wife and I did put a mask on and went upstairs to find we and a young woman were the only ones wearing a mask. The masks stayed on until the journey end.
Look I get it, people are scared. They're scared for themselves and they are scared for others and the general sentiment from some out there still appears to be, go back to a full lockdown, destroy the economy past any hope of proper recovery and wreck peoples mental health in the process. I don't consider myself in any way 'invincible' because I've had both jabs and I have to trust that the jabs will actually work seeing as I've had no tests for anti-bodies against the virus. The one thing though which I refuse to do however, is lock myself away and fester at home avoiding life.
My bottom line is, of course, I want everyone to remain safe and well. I will wear a mask when I deem it the most sensible thing to do, but as it stands, I'm choosing to get on with life whilst I can. That's not me with a 'damn the consequences' view for my own and everyone elses health, that's just me deciding I want to maintain a sense of 'normality' as far as normality can be defined in these extremely challenging times. Am I foolish? perhaps some may think so, but I'm feeling pretty good about life at the moment, despite the constant mongering of doom that some continue to espouse. It would seem however that judging from last nights experience, many many thousands of people appear to share my view. Perhaps we are all fools, who knows.