It all began with a photography prompt one of my photographer friends sent to me (see below).
Each week photographer, Jennifer Thoerson, posts a challenge topic on Facebook. Photographers can then respond to the prompt by creating and posting a single photograph or a series of photographs. Since I’m no longer on Facebook, I asked my photographer friend, who is on Facebook, to send me the weekly prompts. (Thank you Judith!) I had been pondering the prompt for a few days. Yesterday while looking out the window at the deck I noticed the breathing masks that Jon had hung out in the sun so that UV rays could kill any germs on them.
There they were hanging on the support post of my deck swing, one of my favorite places in the world to hang out. Two months ago this sight would have seemed extremely odd to me. Now masks are an essential part of life for many.
Then I realized that during this COVID-19 pandemic the most essential thing for many people who are sick with COVID-19 is breath.
Breath is Essential for Life
So I breathed on the window to create a fog and made the photograph you see above with my phone. I liked the way the light was blown out on the mask and that it appeared to be glowing. As it appears that one of the things that will make it more possible for people to work and businesses open is if most people choose to wear masks when they are in public enclosed spaces, I liked that the mask appeared to be touched by the light.
Later I used my big girl camera to make the image below. Seems like some of the things that are essential for all of us right now along with breath are face masks and prayers.
Breathing Masks and Prayer Flags
Speaking of Breath
Breathing, speaking, coughing, and sneezing are some of the primary ways the COVID-19 virus spreads.
I read an blog post this morning that my daily New York Times briefing called out. It’s called “The Risks — Know Them — Avoid Them” It’s a very clear explanation of how the virus often spreads inside confined spaces, like restaurants, churches, workplaces and schools. The author, Dr. Erin Bromage, an Assistant Professor of biology at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, explains that even when people remain more than six feet apart, they can become infected by breathing the same air as an infected person for an extended period of time. Thus, that type of scenario is much more worrisome than a quick trip to the grocery store or almost any outdoor activity.
The part of the post that I found particularly interesting is that it takes many virus particles to become ill, not just a single stray particle. Though the exact number of particles needed to infect someone with COVID-19 is not yet known, studies with MERS and SARS indicate that as few as 1000 virus particles are needed for an infection to take hold. If you have time, read this article. It made me feel much better about outdoor activities even when others seem to not be regarding social distancing recommendations.
Now for some inspiration
I happened upon the two music videos below yesterday and both of them brought a smile to my face. I thought you might enjoy them. They’re short, less than 3 minutes each, I think, and very inspiring.
May you walk in beauty.
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