6 • The Beacon January 28 , 2021

I think there are times when we need to press the “ pause ” button on sharing every single thought and criticism that dances through our brains , just wanting to get out and play with others .

The COVID-19 pandemic has put all of us in a different place , mentally , socially and in many cases even physically . As humans we naturally crave communication and social contact with others . This pandemic has tested us on all of the above levels . Perhaps introverts have fared a

Mark Fortune

Mark ’ s Musings

bit better than extroverts , but maybe not . I am sure there are statistics on that somewhere ; I just don ’ t feel like searching for them today .

Sometimes there are just too many numbers , facts , figures and attention grabbers to sort the truth from the fiction . Aren ’ t we capable of thinking on our own anymore ? Are we capable of having our own opinions and sharing them sensibly instead of continuing to pour coals on an already blazing fire ? Unfortunately , as we know all too well at this point , the answer is , in many cases , no .

The quarantine and isolation of last spring only exacerbated people sharing their opinions through mass and social media . One pundit has reported our “ liking ” of being isolated — yes , that is what he said — has grown at a pace over

I ’ m just starting to learn the job of a county commissioner . There are a lot of emails coming in and going out for all the communication through the commissioners ’ office .

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jsellers @ alonovus . com

I see a lot of dedicated people working together to make it all work the best it can . Keeping up to date with everything is a job all by itself . The staff is very hard-working ,

and they step up in every situation .

This is going to be a rough year for a lot of people in 2021 . All we can do is the best of our ability with working together for the Coshocton County community .

I look forward to meeting a lot of people in the near future . Rick Conkle Coshocton County commissioner

the past year that would have likely taken five to 10 years at a normal pace . That is , without COVID-19 . We were already headed there : A few moments observing people in many restaurant settings on their phones proves that point .

Are there countries that fare better in this environment ? Are there nations that fare much worse ? Nations whose people typically are very social , live in close proximity and have more family gatherings have likely suffered at a disproportionate rate .

America is probably somewhere in between , but I would think leans more heavily toward the social and “ get together ” side of things . It remains to be seen whether we will return to some sense of normalcy as more and more people are vaccinated . Let ’ s hope we do .

All reports indicate our county and city health departments and all those helping to coordinate , administrate and give the COVID-19 vaccinations are doing an admirable job , and they deserve our thanks and appreciation .

Super Bowl prediction ? The “ old man ” Tom Brady versus the “ young gun ” Patrick Mahomes — does it get much better than this ? Let ’ s hope both teams are actually on the sidelines for the national anthem . It ’ s time for the NFL to tell their players to “ man up ” and show some respect for the flag and our nation . There , I said my peace — now back to the prediction . I ’ ll make it in the Feb . 4 column . I need some time to ponder this pigskin prognostication .

The Genesis Medical Group is opening a family doctor office in the heart of downtown Coshocton .

Genesis Coshocton Family Practice will be located at 410 Main St .

and will open Feb . 1 . David Lozowski , D . O ., and Brenda Lozowski , D . O ., have been practicing family medicine in Coshocton for over 20 years and will accept patients at this office .

Another family physician , Brandon Hill , M . D ., also will accept new patients at this location .

Appointments can be made by calling 740- 722-9520 .