Unmasked

I suppose I should have seen it coming. Since we are hearing Confessions here, I must confess that I almost never try to figure out who dunnit or what is fixin' to happen unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I just know that the answers will reveal themselves in due time, and attempting to guess is just impatience on my part. Some might opine that such patience is a liability. I must confess that sometimes it is.

Therefore, although it should have come as no surprise when I first encountered this new wrinkle in an old pet peeve, I must confess that it surprised me. The peeve to which I refer is the great American tradition of throwing trash on the ground anywhere one happens to be. I was taught not to do this, but sometimes I feel as if I'm the only one. We might even be a majority, but the trash-flinging contingent certainly makes up for it. Anyone who walks as much as I do cannot fail to notice. It's everywhere.

So now, in the grip of a deadly pandemic, with masks being worn by many in public places, discarded masks have joined the food wrappers, bottles, cans and other miscellaneous trash littering the roadsides and parking lots of this great land of ours. I should have seen it coming.