There are many things to settle into, with our so-called “new normal”. One of them is our expectations. Sometimes things happen that are beyond out control, and we have to just deal. Everyday life has become a form of radical acceptance that we have to navigate something we didn’t create and didn’t choose but we have to manage the best we can.
I wish I could settle the argument about masks and what is the best course of action for people going about their daily existence. You can point me to article both for and against all you want, because I have probably already read them, and I have yet to find a definitive, absolute, ‘yes, this is the answer.” I don’t think there is one, sadly. I say this as someone who supports freedom and protecting peoples’ rights, is against government overreach most of the time, and is fearful that measures taken are often not temporary and not simple to retract. 
I believe that I have a right to do what I feel is right for me and those that I care about, just as you have a right to do what you feel is right for you and those that you care about. I don’t see a correct, best course of action here. Everyone needs to weigh there own level of comfort and own level or risk, but we are all over the map on this. However, expecting others to view the world and situations the same as we do, is naïve.
Generally, I am a careful and thoughtful person who looks at options and often overthinks things. I don’t like feeling bad or guilty or anxious about the unknown or what-if this and what-if that, but this is what we are faced with. There are days I can settle my thoughts, be in the now, and go on with my day. Other days, I can’t get to far without thinking about all of the people affected, what the future will look like, what it will be like to set foot into my work environment with people coming and going, using shared bathrooms, and meeting with people in-person while not knowing if they are healthy or sick or if they are as cautious about cleanliness and germs as me and my husband are. You can tell me that people in their 30’s and 40’s of good health (ages of people I work with directly for the most part) are at low-risk, and I can tell you about the people I have about who have died or come close and gone in debt as a result. That small risk is not something I want to test, while I have two cats at home and a husband with some health concerns. You can take that risk, if you wish, but you will not be taking care of me and my husband, paying our bills, or helping our families say goodbye if we lose our duel with risk. 
I hope the best for everyone, Americans and people around the world. We can’t settle the mask argument but we can treat each other with respect, decency, and common courtesy that each of us is making the best decision we can for ourselves and our families based on the information available to us.
