I Moved From Locked-Down Virginia To Open Florida, And Faces Came Back To Life

The Federalist ^ | December 21, 2020 | Ellie Reynolds

[Kaslin]

Here, life has felt incredibly normal. It's also revealed how abnormal the lifestyle I followed in Virginia really was.

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OCALA, Fla. — Last Sunday I plopped a steaming hashbrown casserole and a bowl of freshly sliced oranges down on one of a row of endless folding tables covered in those flimsy plastic tablecloths you get at the dollar store. The casseroles were outnumbered only by the pans of homemade cinnamon rolls, and the fruit section was meager: it was a good Southern Baptist potluck.

Church ladies buzzed around, removing tin foil from tin pans and putting serving spoons in each dish, while others flipped pancakes on a portable griddle. Rows of chairs and tables were set up under the oak trees and the typical Florida December weather made me regret wearing a sweater. I loaded my plate with food and it wasn’t until I sat down that I had an epiphany: I had missed potlucks. Thanks to coronavirus, I guess buffet-style anything has become terribly unstylish in some places.

Until recently, I’ve been at school in Loudoun County, Virginia, where Gov. Ralph Northam has been busy inflicting harsher shutdown orders. Masks are required almost everywhere up there, and big gatherings are out of the question. Multiple friends had to cancel their wedding receptions this month due to the new restrictions.

I got so used to wearing a mask that every time I watched a movie it seemed odd for the actors to be bare-faced. Leaving a store, sometimes I’d make it all the way to the car before even realizing I still had my mask on.

It wasn’t until I came home to Florida — where COVID-19 restrictions are much freer and usually left to local government — that I noticed how different life was. On my flight home, I reached from my seat by the window to hand my snack wrapper to the flight attendant. The older gentleman next to me took it from my hand to pass it along. It caught me off guard: this stranger was willing to touch something that I had eaten from? He wasn’t afraid of my germs?

Thoughtful gestures that had always been normal suddenly seemed surprising — which made me realize how many of those everyday connections we’ve lost this year. Since I’ve spent some time in Florida, life has felt incredibly normal. It’s also revealed how abnormal the lifestyle I followed in Virginia really was.

For one, I didn’t realize how much I was missing by not seeing people’s faces. I don’t object to people wearing masks if they feel safer; it’s their personal health decision. But when I arrived at the airport to see my family for the first time since August (mid-semester breaks were another COVID casualty), I could actually see their faces.

I went to a café to study the other day and walked past a young pregnant mother with her toddler in tow. None of us were masked, and the toddler and I got to smile and wave at each other as we passed.

Even things that used to annoy me reminded me of what I had missed. I had to slow down for a school zone the other day because kids were actually in school. I never knew I could feel so much joy at slowing down to 20 miles per hour. There were elementary school kids running around the playground for recess.

The downtown scene here is even further proof that people are living their normal lives, unobstructed by fear. My family went out to dinner the other night at a patio bar overlooking our downtown square, all lit up for Christmas. Families took Christmas photos in front of the lighted trees, and others caught rides in horse-drawn carriages circling the block. The patio was packed with guests from a wedding that had just taken place; it was a huge party, unlike the sweet but limited ceremonies my friends were forced to have in Virginia.

While the chain coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin’ are closed to indoor patrons, my favorite local coffeeshop is open and more popular than ever. (And why buy overpriced, mediocre chain coffee anyway?) Looking around, I only see one customer wearing a mask, and only one of the baristas.

There’s a sign taped to the door that says, “The city council feels it is at their best interset to infringe upon your personal constitutional right and feel they can manage your life better than you. We will not do this…we will not force you to wear a mask!”

“All are welcome and we appreciate your supporting local,” the sign adds. I went Saturday morning with my family and we had to wait for a table; we ran into an old friend while we were there. That same day, we went to the downtown farmers’ market. Vendors offered free samples and sold fresh produce, a live musician sang “Folsom Prison Blues,” and no one told me to wear a mask.

I’ve flown in and out of the Orlando airport all my life, and I’ve never seen it half as crowded as it was this month. I can only guess that people are coming down to Florida because it’s open here. People are taking precautions, sure, but they’re also continuing to live their lives.

We’re having friends over and going to church. We’re going out for dinner and drinks, and supporting local farmers and artisans. We’re celebrating marriages and smiling at strangers. And we’re eating a lot of hashbrown casserole.

[JerryBlackwell]

What a great story for a Monday!

[V_TWIN]

Here in north Flanly time I’ve been wearing a mask is in a store....and that’s been the norm for many months. A lot of people here look at these crazy liberal states and we just shake our heads and wonder how people can allow themselves to be controlled that way. IMO we are truly blessed to have leadership at the state level that actually is protecting us and our rights and freedoms.

[V_TWIN]

Florida......stupid phone

[Governor Dinwiddie]

article: "Last Sunday I plopped a steaming …"

Stopped reading right there!

[Georgia Girl 2]

My best friend was recently in Hilton Head and same deal there.

[Londo Molari]

Here in the People Republik of New Jersey there are tons of covidiots running around. Yesterday my buddy and I were enjoying the snow on our fat bikes. There were some hikers in the woods. We ran across a few individuals who were alone on some of the wider trails and wearing masks. They saw us coming from a distance, got off the trails into the deep snow, covered their mask covered face with their hands and turned away from us. It is really sad to see people living in such utter fear.

[Red Badger]

Sign on the door of a small local business:

WE WEAR MASKS, SO YOU WON’T HAVE TO...................

[hal ogen]

In times of stress and uncertainty you find out various things about people. It gives you data.

[Hojczyk]

It is a virus it spreads...masks only slow it and prolong it...It would be nice if the fast food places would open for indoor seating in Florida..must be a slip and fall lawyer thing...I will only go to places I can eat in..

I think the younger people are more scared than old people...

[Hot Tabasco]

Living in a northern state like I do, many people are susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which creates depression due to lack of sunlight and warm weather.

I'm susceptible to it and I combat it by staying physically active with volleyball, racquetball and just going to the gym.

However, everything is shut down here and I recently had major shoulder surgery so those activities wouldn't be available to me anyway. This is going to be a very, very tough winter for not only me, but other single seniors throughout the state.......

[nascarnation]

You need to get outside for an hour a day.
Sometimes in Jan and Feb it’s tough but pays huge dividends.

[minnesota_bound]

It was like she escaped from east Berlin to free west Berlin.
Or from North Korea to South Korea.

[Persevero]

We need to be human. The occasional mask or hard few days are ok. But a lifestyle of germophobia destroys our mental health.

[GOPJ]

I’ve flown in and out of the Orlando airport all my life, and I’ve never seen it half as crowded as it was this month. I can only guess that people are coming down to Florida because it’s open here. People are taking precautions, sure, but they’re also continuing to live their lives. We’re having friends over and going to church. We’re going out for dinner and drinks, and supporting local farmers and artisans. We’re celebrating marriages and smiling at strangers. And we’re eating a lot of hashbrown casserole.

We can also keep driving if mobs surround our cars and we feel threatened... and we have ZERO state income tax.Conservatives are welcome in Florida. Consider the possibilities...

[Oatka]

The older gentleman next to me took it from my hand to pass it along. It caught me off guard: this stranger was willing to touch something that I had eaten from?

Recently ate at a Nevada casino buffet. Cashier had a full-coverage mask and requested that I cover my nose (usually wear it on chin or only cover mouth). Hands me the receipt, which I hand to the masked seating server. She declines, saying "It's for our safety." and shows us to our table - which is 15 feet from where she works and is full of unmasked people.

The buffet is one-sided and the server fills your plate as directed. He also has a full mask on and DEMANDS that I cover my nose. I tell him "It's been EIGHT FRIGGING MONTHS and they haven't worked, but they're gonna work today?" He gets all hissy and starts "IT'S THE RULES! IT'S THE RULES!" and I get a couple of looks. He is also 15 feet from the room full of unmasked people.

I won't go there for a while.

[FLNittany]

I went to the local bar in Juno Beach the other night for some wings and Yuengs. Forgot my mask so I pulled my t-shirt up over my face to enter. The girls just laughed and poured me a lager as I sat down at the bar next to other freedom-loving Floridians.

[dfwgator]

DeSantis 2024!

[Pajamajan]

Compare and contrast free Red states with Democrat totalitarian states.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

“I think the younger people are more scared than old people...”

This isn’t the first end of the world I’ve seen.