Let the Parade Pass You By

 

It was Benjamin's birthday weekend.

And for his birthday (now 20 - no more teenagers!) he likes to go to Chamblin Bookmine.  I am a bookstore connoisseur, and for my money, the Bookmine is as good or better than any bookstore I've been in, including the Strand in NYC and Powell Books in Portland, Oregon (this is especially true for used books).  Masks are required, and it's not very crowded, so social distancing is easy.

To get to Chamblin in Jacksonville, we travel a road that takes us past the town of Callahan. We had to detour around the town of Callahan because they had a Christmas Parade.  

Yes, for real.  A Christmas Parade, in the middle of the most virulent part of the Pandemic.  A parade where masks were few and far between,  A parade where social distancing was non-existent.

I glimpsed the main drag of the parade, and it was packed.  Thousands crammed together, and all I could think of was a Hieronymous Bosch painting, displaying the horrors of the apocalypse.

In the picture above, two of the paraders have masks on - well, costumes, at any rate.  Few, if any, are detectable in the crowd.

Here is another crowd shot.  Shriners in their funny little vehicles.  And, they're maskless, of course.  As is the vast majority of the packed crowd.

An unmasked 97-year-old veteran rides a bike through the parade.  I admire him.  I admire his service.  I pray that he stays safe. I'm not positive, but I think he may have a mask below his chin.  Perhaps he put it on when people got closer.

Kudos to the girl in front with the candy bucket, who is wearing a mask, and the one person in the audience I could see wearing a mask (you could play Where's Mask-O and see if you could find it too).

No, I did not take these pictures.  I stole from the interwebs, using Callahan Christmas Parade 2020.

And no, this isn't the only Christmas Parade going on around here.  Blackshear had theirs last night. Waycross will have theirs on December 12th.

There are events all over.  Some done safely, others not.  There are plans for an ice skating rink (yeah - South Georgia and ice skating - try not to think about it too much).

And yes, outdoor events, particularly if masked and not too crowded, are safer than indoor events.

But indoor events are going on too. Some area churches have complete disregard for public safety.

If God is telling you to not wear a mask and behave as if there is no Pandemic and that your personal liberty to live and worship as you please is paramount, disregarding the safety and well-being of others - I hate to break it to you - but THAT AIN"T GOD TALKING TO YOU.  You have seriously got your spiritual wires crossed up.

For those of you who still care to protect themselves and others - don't give up!  Let this parade pass you by, and take care of yourself and your loved ones.  

Just because everyone else is behaving like a self-centered lunatic doesn't mean you have to join in.

Wear a mask.  Socially distance.  You don't have to be a hermit. Use caution, and give a damn about others. That's all we're asking.