I was reading the other day an article that the people in the United States were some of the unfriendliness people in the world. To tell you the truth I have never really been outside of the United States very much to be able to compare. In fact the only foreign country I have been to was Canada. I have been all around the United States and I really have not notice a difference from one area to another. Maybe the problem is me. Maybe if I was friendlier people would be friendlier to me. I will admit that I am hesitant to allow many people within my space. I wrestle with whether I want to associate with people that would put me in harm’s way. I have heart disease and non cancerous scarring on my lunges from exposure to asbestos. During the pandemic I have had to be very careful. Even though I am vaccinated I still wear a mask. I am having a hard time trusting people that they will be concerned about the person standing next to them when that person could be me.  That is the one thing that is lacking that I see, concern for the person standing next to you.

I was reading another article yesterday about a restaurant in North Dallas that kicked a couple for wearing a mask. The restaurant “Hang Time” in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett has a no mask policy. The couple had just had a baby that was having some health problems and they were being careful so they did not bring anything home to their new baby that would harm it. Because they were wearing a mask they were told to leave. They were being responsible parents in my opinion. If they had been careless and had gotten their child sick there would be a whole bunch of people screaming what terrible and selfish parents that they were. They do the right thing and they get persecuted for it. The owner of the restaurant justified his no mask policy saying that masks were an overreaction and they don’t work. It is his business and that he can do as he wants. If this man is not going to let people protect themselves what else is he not doing. I would be very suspect that he is running a very healthy establishment in the first place. So much for pro-life Texas.

I have always believed that we should support small businesses in our area. When you could only do carryout my wife and I would try at least once a week support a local restaurant by doing carryout. When they did allow customers back in I always made sure that it was an establishment that I felt was putting my safety first. Most places that I went to were very safety conscious but a few are not. The ones that were not, I never went back to and when this pandemic is over I probably will never go back to. Any company that does not look out for the well being of their customers has no business being in business. Every Sunday morning my wife and I along with our dog go to the Over Easy Restaurant on Sanibel. Why did we start going there. Because they made us feel welcome and safe. They had outdoor seating and all the staff wore masks. When things got better and masks were no longer required they took them off but as things got worse they went right back to wearing masks. A place like that deserves my business. Grandma Dots on Sanibel expanded their outdoor seating to help create a safer dining experience and I have always felt safe there. Safety has always been important for any business it is just more amplified today. If a business is not putting their customer’s safety first they should close.

Being friendly has a lot to do about trust. There are just too many people that I do not trust. People that put politics before the safety of the general public are just too common now. In Florida we have a Governor that puts politics before the safety of not only the general public but also the safety of our children. For some reason they think that wearing a mask is infringing upon their Freedom. The courts have already ruled that you do not have the right to get other people sick. They have already ruled that mandates for public health are ok. Vaccines have been around as long as this country has. Do you know what hasn’t been around that long? The division that the Republicans have created. Do not point the finger at the Democrats. Biden bent over backwards to try and work with the Republicans. They were not interested. The lying and misinformation from the Republicans have done great harm to our democracy and it has even killed people. They have put party before country. I cannot see any reason to vote for a Republican again and yes I have voted for Republicans. I don’t know where the Republicans got this America First slogan but from everything I have seen they have put the health of our country and especially our children last. Don’t talk to me about a Christian Nation when you turn your back on the safety of our children.