Looking Towards Re-entry

 

It looks like, after a lot of sweat, tears & cuss words, that I'll receive Vaccination Number One on Thursday afternoon. I'm grateful, excited an nervous. My nervousness is a result of being denied the vaccine twice before--- so I finally got pro-active and procured a note from my primary care doctor  stating that I've  some conditions {autoimmune condition that affects the circulation in my extremities { It is Raynauld's Syndrome & rate enough to NOT be included on Florida's list of conditions }  Brian and I secured an appointment at a Publix pharmacy located near our home, and I am cautiously optimistic that I'll get the dose. 

Cautiously optimistic is how I plan to live into the gradual post-pandemic life. As much as I have missed engagement with " my " people, COVID life has left me very wary of strangers. To be honest, I've almost forgotten how to deal with large groups of people whom I do not know-- and this is unnerving. 

I don't think I will ever feel comfortable in a gym nor movie theatre again--- there are too many variables. I prefer outdoors workouts, but The Great Freeze reminded me that Nature can be rather grouchy, and bring a bitter cold to the normally mild southeastern winters. 

I am cautious and slow-to-trust what { and whom} I do not know because COVID tide has brought such heartache to everyone. Additionally, this season saw the ugliest political cycle in my lifetime--- if not in history.  This Presidential election , and its aftermath, brought more divisions among people who really do our best to walk in Christ's Love. 

A third factor in my wariness of life post-pandemic is the uncertainty of the reopening of the Three-Mile Bridge.  If one does not live in the Greater Pensacola area, there is no way to truly understand how much the bridge damage affects hearts, minds and souls here. My Gulf Breeze/ Navarre loved ones are affected the most by the bridge's closure , but we on the western side of the Pensacola Bay also feel the loss. the closure of this bridge precludes many Escambia County, Florida residents from enjoying our beautiful Gulf beaches. 

There are a few things that I look towards as the slow recovery begins. 

Be gentle with yourselves, my friends. 

~Sarah McCarren

16 May 2021