It’s almost time to say goodbye to masks.

Goodbye to those cheerful little strips of cloth or paper that came in

every color and pattern….

Camouflage green, tie-dyed pink and orange, patriotic red-white-and-blue,

and even basic black.

Goodbye to the stretchy elastic that wrapped faithfully around our ears.

Goodbye to the gaiter that went up and then down and then up again.

Goodbye to the bandana that

could go from headgear to facewear in the blink of an eye.

You were faithful to us. Yet what did we do in return?

Some tossed you carelessly in the garbage, never noticing if you landed on the sidewalk. Others insulted your dignity by throwing you out a car window or on forest trail or in a grocery-store parking lot.

I hope we never need to call on you like this again, although we have been assured we will. They say it’s just a matter of when.

If that time comes, dear mask,

just know that I wasn’t one of

the unappreciators.

I washed you and dried you with care.

Unless you were paper.

Then, I threw you respectfully in the trash

after removing you correctly and

folding you in a square to keep your discomfort to a minimum.

If I need you again, I know you’ll be there for me. And I’ll be there for you.

Rochelle is a long-time writer, a reluctant submittor, a former newspaper reporter, public relations hack, creative director, creative parent and grandparent, and almost as important -- a mediocre but spirited basketball player at Evanston's Levy Center.