One of my highlights every day used to be going to the local grocery store.

I miss smiles. You see, I don’t get out much. I work from home. And so, the only opportunity I get to socialize is when I go shopping for the ingredients for my family’s dinner.

The local grocery store used to be my social outlet. I’d often get a chance to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a while. I’d wave “hello” to folks that were recognizable, but not necessarily close friends. And, I’d smile at strangers as we passed in the aisles. They always smiled back.

That doesn’t happen so much anymore. Or, if it does I can’t tell – because we’re all wearing masks. And, people just don’t seem as friendly as they used to be.

The mask has changed things. We don’t see the friendliness in each other anymore. We don’t see kindness.

Instead, we’re suspicious. We can’t “read” each other’s faces, and so we suspect the worst.

We don’t hug our friends anymore. We don’t wave hello to our acquaintances. And we think of strangers as enemies.

And, the conspiracy theorist inside me thinks that’s exactly what the Deep State wants from us.

For what reason? I have no idea. I’m not a member of the Deep State.

But, here’s what I do know…

People are inherently good. We’re nice. We’re kind. We’re friendly. We like to be happy, and we like it most when other people are happy, too.

The mask has changed things.

The mask hides our identities. It hides our natural friendliness. It hides our smiles. It makes it easier to be rude without consequence. And, it promotes unhappiness.

But, some folks believe the mask is a necessary evil in the current pandemic environment. In my state, the “People’s Republic of California,” I’m prohibited from going grocery shopping – or even going for a walk by myself in my neighborhood – without wearing a mask. So… I’ll comply… reluctantly.

But, I’m not going to let the Deep State win this battle.

Behind everyone else’s mask, I’m going to imagine a smile. I’m going to trust that the friendliness that existed several months ago is still there today. And, I’m going to bet that our innate happiness beats out any short-term government, or pandemic imposed, inconvenience.

So, when I see you in the local grocery store I’m still going to smile. And, even though I can’t see your response, I’ll trust that you’re smiling back.

That’s a reasonable request from a conspiracy theorist’s point of view. But, at this point, it feels even more important… just from a regular human perspective.

None of us can make much of a difference in this pandemic. But, we can make a difference with how we deal with this situation.

Go ahead and wear a mask – whether or not you agree with the mandate. But, stay true to your natural instinct to be friendly, kind, and happy.

In other words… just smile. Doing so will brighten the world just a little bit.

And that’s all we need.

Best regards and good trading,

Jeff Clark

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