Selfie by me. Hopefully this is my last " COVID Haircut".
The second dose of the COVID vaccine was true to its promise-- it hit me hard yesterday. After a restless night { tossing & turning because the injection site was sore & tender} I felt half-dead when I woke yesterday morning. Every inch of my body ached, and I was literally struggling to keep my eyes open. .
I slept all morning, Brian unrolled the sleeper sofa in the living room and Harry { our dog} kept watch over me while Brian had to run an errand. Aleve helped to stave off the aches, and when I awoke from my nap I felt much more like an extremely-fatigued version of myself.
Later in the afternoon I was able to meet a friend for my first IN-PERSON coffee date at Dolce & Gelato { Pensacola, check them out!!) We sat OUTSIDE and enjoyed iced coffee and caught up with each other face-to-face. It was surreal, after only interacting on Facebook Messenger for so long.
I also walked to the locally-owned bakery/sweet shop and bought some yummy desserts for Brian and me while my friend ordered pizza for her family at a local pizza shop in the same East Hill plaza as the coffee/ wine bar/ gelato shop. Again, it was weird to purposely walk into a non-essential store.
Yes, everyone at all the establishments were masked { per citywide mandate } and the coffee shop served drinks in disposable cups.
Today , I have my first in-person meeting at church. People will have masks and stay safely apart, & we will Zoom the meeting for those who would rather join us in that format. Our Parish Hall has looked like an empty shell for so long. Tables and chairs had been rolled into storage and the coffee station had been cleared since March of last year.
I'm grateful, but at the same time I feel weird . I hate Zooming with a passion, but it has been necessary for so long , its my default mode for meetings. Meeting in-person? What do I wear? How do I act? Will I manage to pay attention to " live" meeting presentations after so many months of online only work?
Of course, safety is still a priority. I will not be attending public in-person meeting for a long time--- as I know that many Floridians are " on the fence" regarding vaccination. Some have even REFUSED to take the shot-- and I cannot afford to socialize with those who support the anti-vaccination movement. In the past year, I { and everyone else} has given up so much to stay alive and healthy until vaccination & I WILL NOT let people who refuse to believe in science steal anymore light from me.
Going forward , I will be careful about with whom I socialize in-person. If people cannot see that God worked through science to bring about this Eastertide via vaccination, then I will stay away from them. The New Normal for me will be carefully evaluating relationships in light of the COVID response. This pandemic, and the political upheaval in which it occurred, has changed how I relate to other people. The vaccine is a gift, given via science, of our Creator. In my mind, to refuse this gift is sinful on so many levels.
It is true that no one can force another person to get their vaccine. But we CAN appeal to people's sense of community--that with the vaccination comes FREEDOM to live life in community again. Yes, we can make choices. But with freedom of choice comes the responsibility to the human community.
Vaccinate . Vaccinate. Vaccinate.
~Sarah McCarren
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