local public health

This morning, I was running a small errand at the doctor's office. It was just an errand, I'm not sick, so of course I waited while they dealt with other people. A family having a Bad Day came into the waiting room from the doctor side. The mom was carrying a child of maybe 8. They were the size of big kid you don't carry unless something is wrong, and it's a long way down the hall to the elevator. There was a little kid (2 or 3) trailing along behind looking worried.

I stood up and offered to get the door to the hallway for her, because she had her hands full. She said, "Oh no! Thank you, but I don't want you to get sick. I can get it." I was wearing an N95 face mask. She and her sick kid weren't. I want to appreciate her kind thought, her desire to protect a stranger. I just wish we lived in a world where such kindness was more usefully expressed.