We wear masks now. Our masks are often colorful. Even beautiful. This is the high fashion of our time—haute couture—a parade of masks.

We walk our dogs with masks hiding half our faces. We shouldn’t dare go into a grocery store or coffee shop with naked faces. Sometimes we put masks on our faces when we drive our cars. Or ride our bikes.

We all look like bank robbers.

Our masks are a sign of social responsibility. We protect anyone we meet–just in case we are a carrier, someone without symptoms.

But mask-wearing has problems.

• It’s hard to breathe in our masks, which cover both our mouths and our noses.
• We can barely see—our glasses fog up.
•  We can’t hear—our cloth masks muffle our voices.
•  We don’t recognize each other—we walk past people that we should know.

And there’s something more. I like to smile at people as I pass by—whether they are friends or strangers. It’s nice to be sociable. But now, no one can see my smile!