Thank you for understanding. I appreciate it if I (and those like me) am not immediately & inappropriately judged.
Thank you for noticing that it exhibits differently. It is a good observation and helps you be fair. Thank you for being kind and helpful. We need this from others. I am sure that I am not the only one who feels like I am risking a lot when I go out. It is very stressful not knowing if one will be targeted for something they can't help.
I want to take the time to thank others for accommodating me and being kind. There have been quite a few that have been kind and accommodating and I need to remember to let them know how much I personally appreciate it. I've always said a minimum of thank you, as it is important to be grateful to others.
I have mentioned this before. As everyone knows, but some forget (and so why I am posting this yet again), not all medical exemptions are visible and those who lie and/pretend to have these exemptions make it difficult for us other folks to do any necessary shopping. We get judged unfairly and harshly. At the very least, we get dirty looks, and maybe an underhanded comment, but we can easily be the recipients of more. I am not out to hurt anyone out of ignorance nor spite. I am sure those same others like me aren't either.
I am actually afraid of others assuming that I am one of the liars or pretenders. I am afraid of their rude comments and possibly of them feeling like they have to report me using the reasoning of "doing so the safety of others." Please ask directly without judgment if you don't know and are concerned or are wondering. If you approach me, please be kind and respectful. I will not attack, and will calmly let you know, all the while very happily keeping my distance.
It is never right to be rude. I make a point to be kind, to smile, be polite & keep distance. I can't say the same for many others about the distancing (all I've seen were wearing masks). Most don't distance at all, which is surprising. In my case I wear a face shield, which I know still makes me a misplaced target of health authorities' assumptions & others as well.
I have said before that I rarely go into the city and it is for necessities only (I know of nothing I absolutely need from the mall so I haven't been in there for I don't know of how many months...last spring?). I don’t do browsing and I even have passed on certain things & have just made due with a lot of things for now, but soon even some of those things will need to be replaced and you will see me in the city...with a horrible face shield on.
If I could wear a mask, believe me, I would for the part day I am in the city. In my case, it really doesn't matter if I picked a "side" or not...I cannot wear a mask. Period. I want to say (because some may not know) that face shields are a royal pain because they collect dust even immediately after cleaning and get scratched and they keep moving. They can also induce real panic for me at times due to the dust, scratches & if it moves wrong, which will give me the exact same intense panic that I experience as if I was wearing a mask. I can't wait to rip it off my face outside the door so that I can breathe (which some might think is strange). It is a very real thing to me! But, if I go without the shield altogether, I feel that I'd be an even bigger target, so I still wear one despite these issues.
And please, to those who say do curbside...not everything can be done curbside nor online. Don't just say...get someone else to do your shopping...for the most part, I have. For some things, you just can't. Please don't treat us like second class citizens that should be punished for something we never asked to struggle with in the first place, then with additional conditions on top of those.
I am going in tomorrow because I am required to, but considering the one person rule for shopping, I won't actually be in any store. I will never go into a store alone these days as I need the support of another due to the stress that I feel when entering any store these days. I have been confronted once and was not respected by a Brandon store owner as having a real disability (can't see it, remember?), and I really, really don't want to experience that again.
