The Underestimation of our Faces.
The farmers market is one neat square block filled with bustling activity. Families, mothers, grandparents, uncles and screams of young children fill the musky city air on a typical Saturday morning. Mongers border the sides of the market place, occupying their sections with the fresh scents of herbs and vegetables and canteens showcasing spices. Cuts of meat are displayed and the sounds of tearing butcher paper pierce the air enough for few to inquisitively glance.
The sights of any typical market place are checkered with the expressions of the people. Glances at the faces of the patrons convey vivid emotion. Child siblings gleefully play, cry and scheme with each other. Parents battle exhaustion while maintaining energy to get through the market’s various sub-sections. Curious onlookers inspecting produce and meat engage in conversation with each seller. The communication through the eyes and facial muscles can determine a seller’s earnings for the day. Friendly exchanges discuss where products originated, when they were harvested and how long they will last. Often the sellers are the harvesters themselves. Bartering soon entails.
These nuances add life and vibrancy to the traditional farmers market, a customary practice of human beings since time immemorial. Indeed, trips to the market are more than gathering the necessities for another week. These trips are places of socialization. Of connection.
But indeed, we are in different times. Because the Face Mask may very well alter the way in which we express ourselves.
Cloth fabric measuring twelve inches across and nine inches in height will soon be made mandatory when we cannot safely distance. Out of necessity, we will adorn these, hiding our countenance.
We follow this decree of our politicians, who routinely demonstrate confusion, panic and anger when discussing any and all things regarding the changing times. We read their visual cues to understand the seriousness of this virus. Elected leaders, through their expression, breathe life into their prepared speeches. And we react accordingly.
