Spring Means Vaccines are Finally Here
Spring is finally here. It means warmer weather, rain, flowers and wonderful vaccines. I am most happy about that last part.
I never thought I would be excited for me or anyone else to get an injection, but I also never thought in modern times that a disease could change our way of life.
When vaccine age requirements were lowered enough that my parents were eligible, I was thrilled. It meant the beginning of less worry about spreading something to them, and more family gatherings.
Several family members got on their computers at various times of day and found appointments for them at different places, and they went for their first doses.
When the age was lowered enough that my husband and I could get them I thought it would be a long road of attempting and failing to get appointments. I was so surprised when my brother texted me the day before I was eligible and informed me his workplace, which has its own pharmacy, was offering them to employees and their immediate family. I enthusiastically told him to sign me up, and I went the next day. My sister-in-law and I both got them that day and I was pleased to find out they were the one-dose wonder and I didn’t even need to come back for another.
The shot itself was painful and that night I had a few side effects but by the next afternoon I was fine. All I could think about was how I would soon get to be around people again.
A few days later while online at 1:00 a.m. I found my husband an appointment at a pharmacy for his first dose.
By Easter all the adults in my immediate family had at least their first dose and my husband and I hosted a small party. We still wore masks when inside and not eating, but it was the first time I had seen some of the people in awhile and it was great.
Luckily it was also warm outside, and we all surprised my nephew by having his first pinata. We used our masks as blindfolds and took turns, and it was hilarious watching my nephew beat the pinata until it broke. It made so much noise a neighbor came to their door to figure out what was going on.
We had a nice meal and multiple desserts, then went back outside to throw the gliders my nephew got in his Easter basket. It was a beautiful day and the closest to normal things have felt in awhile.
I hope in the upcoming months we can have more days like this.
My next hope is that some of my future classes will be on campus instead of online. I am struggling a bit in my current class where some of the online material doesn’t seem to match what’s in the book and we don’t have any online meeting times.
It’s weird to think about driving all the way to campus though. It takes me a half hour to get there and allowing driving time would mean my days will be structured differently than they have been lately.
But I’m not worried. I’m ready for change.
