It's Better to See People's Faces

Due to a fridge / freezer incident / mishap at the Oasis (name of our apartment), I found myself needing to stay up until about 12:30 to replace the contents of the fridge and freezer which are currently nestled in the our lobby dorm room style appliance. Last night, they were in a different home - the local bodega (Namu), which will always have a special place in my heart. It's the most reliable place in the city, the only spot that had toilet paper and hand sanitizer in May of 2020, and the people there just get it. So when I asked them if I could store some stuff there overnight, we had an interaction that you could argue was comical, and we walked around the store and eventually put the bag in a ice cream freezer thing that was holding a total mish mosh of items. It was picked up at 9am this morning, with me and the people getting a confused departing smile.

Back to why we're writing. To kill time, I went on a neighborhood walk this evening. It's a sticky 72 out, but the streets were crowded. The foot traffic has increased three fold since labor day and it's fantastic. Walking on the east side of the street, I was strolling past a Georgian restaurant, where I had been dying to go for months, texting Alex every time I walked by it. We finally went a few weeks ago and had a waiter that was outright hilarious. You thought he was faking his Russian American accent, but he wasn't. You thought he was kinda forgetful and figuring it out, and he was - it was his first night working - he used that excuse after the Diet Coke arrived midway through the third part of the meal. However, he and I engaged in significant conversation - talking about the style of food, the region, you name it. At the end of the meal, he brought us some Russian vodka on the house with some berry mixture. It was a rocket puncher of alcohol and absolutely delicious. I left him a massive tip and we thanked him excessively before departing. All I could remember was his voice and his humor kindness combination.

Tonight, when I was walking by the restaurant, at 10:30 mind you, there he was, clearing dishes of one of his tables. We made eye contact, and I exclaimed "it's nice to see you" - I think it took him a couple seconds to piece it together to call out "it's nice to see you my friend." And then the most important line came. And it's a line that came because now you could see his beard, and smile, and soft facial features. And the kind soul that you thought he was came pouring through when you got to see the entire face and voice work together.

"It's nice to see your face" I said. He smiled and said something like "eventually" but candidly couldn't make it out. Perhaps alluding to the fact that eventually we will be able to and as a waiter he won't need to wear a mask.

The walk continued west, and we looped back around walking north up Irving, arguably one of the more beautiful and best kept secrets in the city. There is a place there called Pete's Tavern. It feels like a legendary, iconic spot - an establishment that has been around since the 1920s and has a loyal clientele. It was shut down forever (italicized, bold). Different signs went up during the pandemic - one about staying safe, one sad one about a death that was suffered in the Pete's family, and then just one saying "we'll be back soon." In my non-phone walk which caters to engagement and eyes up, I wanted to say something to the man working the door type thing. I went along the lines of it's great to see you back up and running, it felt like forever how long it was shut down. "17 months" he shrugged his shoulders and said. "Ownership changes, renovations, the whole thing." I supported and just said well glad you made it and it's looking great. He was focused on my shirt (a Durham bulls shirt), and I walked five feet away before he stopped me and said "are you from Durham?" Coincidentally, I was in Durham this past weekend for a wedding, and he went to school in Charlotte, so we joked about how hot the Durham summer can be and how it compared to Arizona and all that jazz. "Have a good night" he voiced as I departed, with a wave and "you too" and a few more smiles from both of us without a mask.

Do you know what makes life so special? One random interaction can make your day. And it’s better when that day-making interaction is with someone whose face you can see and whose expression and emotion you can feel.

Which is why I think if it's safe to not wear a mask, there's no need to (especially now that the readers of this and many of us are vaccinated). The power that comes from a smile and an interaction is stronger than wearing a mask outside when walking around by yourself, or in situations where you're not deeply engaged in conversation or close to people (like a building lobby where a smile and a hello can mean a lot).

I will say, on the walk from 20th down to 12th, and back up Irving…we’re getting back to normal. A new normal. But we’re getting back to normal. And it feels and looks good.