Marsha Wilson Rappaport is an author and freelance writer living in Galveston. She writes a lot about being a senior. Lately, she’s writing about the challenges and opportunities during a pandemic.
My Mask: How This Galveston Senior Is ‘Keeping It Rolling’ In The Pandemic
Texas Standard is collecting stories from Texans about their masks. Help us keep track of this moment in history by sharing your experiences. Find us on social media or send us a note.

Photo courtesy Marsha Wilson Rappaport
“I started wearing a mask early. I started wearing a mask in March because the first conversation about COVID was about being over 65. And I’m over 65; I’m 69. And all I could think is, at my age, catching COVID would not be a good thing.”
“Actually, just by odd chance, I had some face masks in the house because I was painting some stuff. So I had a stash of industrial masks.”
“I started my column, which is about being a senior citizen and all the things that make us crazy. I started a blog in the fall. And COVID showed up and my brain went into total brain freeze. You know, it’s like, what can I possibly say in a situation like this?”
“So what I decided was, why don’t I just give a meal to somebody else who might be very depressed about the situation and, like me, on a limited budget, really can’t afford a really good restaurant meal. So that was what I decided to do and write about it. And I just want to kind of keep it going through the community.”
“Listen, if you can keep it rolling over 65, you can keep it rolling when you’re 30, even in the pandemic. It’s about giving people hope and a sense of purpose, if that makes any sense at all.”
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