What a shot in the arm

Though I was expecting a physical reaction to getting my first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, I was a tad surprised at the emotional response it triggered.

My husband had already received his first and second shots. So when it came time for my appointment, I knew what to expect. 

John has always been a bit of a wimp when it comes to needles. 

I'll never forget the first time we took our babies for their first shots. He was a nervous wreck and almost passed out. 

Apparently times have changed. At the tender age of 72, he has been stuck so many times that he now takes it in stride. I think the needles might be smaller as well. I admit I was the one who was apprehensive about his reaction; except there was none! He was a trouper both times and claims he didn't even feel the shot. Even afterward, he felt no pain whatsoever.

When it finally came around to my turn to get the shot, I wondered if I would have the same reaction he did.

The shot itself was as they say, "just a pinch." 

Immediately afterward though, as I took my seat to wait out the obligatory 15 minutes before going home, I looked around to see the huge room at the fairgrounds comfortably filled with people, all wearing masks and sitting safely distanced from one another. Medical personnel seemed to be everywhere and available on a moment’s notice.

Instead of pain, I was feeling relief as well as a sense of pride to have taken this step, both for my own personal health and as my civic responsibility. After a moment or two, I pulled out my phone and posted something to that effect on Facebook.

As a home body by nature, I haven’t been as bothered by the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 as much as some. Yes, it is a pain to wear a mask, but it is so much better to know that we are all in this together. Wearing a mask is really not a big deal. And being told to stay home didn’t bother me either. In fact, being told to stay home is a running joke at our house. It ranks right up there with someone mandating that we take a nap in the middle of the day. My, how time changes how we look at things.

John and I are both retired. Some, well just about anyone who knows us, would call us reclusive. We led very busy lives once, but these days, like to keep to ourselves. Since John no longer drives, I do all the errands. I have not been in a grocery store since last March. We have groceries delivered or I use the pickup service at Walmart. I cannot say how grateful I am for these services, especially during this pandemic. This as well as other forms of online shopping have been a godsend.

When my wait was over and I got in my car to go home I thought about the last year and all the people that have been touched by this pandemic. I felt akin to people everywhere, people all across the globe that are experiencing the same thing I am. We are all getting our vaccines to the benefit of ourselves and everyone. Tears welled up in my eyes. So many people have died. So many families have had to say goodbye to loved ones and dear friends. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been touched by the story of someone lost.

That was overwhelming enough, but then I thought about the last four years and how it seemed every day there was something a new crisis to worry about. I can’t help but wonder if we had a competent leader, how different things would have been.

Getting this shot seemed to bring all of the things I was feelings into focus. I felt relief. For the past year, it was impossible to know where the Corona Virus was lingering. Even people who were careful ended up in the hospital. I am elated to no longer have that worry though I recognize the emergency is not over.

Additionally, we now have competent government leadership that works for the American people rather than one that might get us all killed because of one man’s incompetency. If it wasn’t for President Joe Biden and the capable people he has put in place, I have no doubt I would not have gotten this lifesaving vaccine.

In more ways than one, this is “a shot in the arm,” that makes me feel lucky.  

That idiom, “a shot in the arm,” according to the Cambridge dictionary, is defined “as something that has a sudden and positive effect on something, providing encouragement and new activity.”

It is certainly time for that. And by the way, the day after, it only hurt a little. I hope everyone gets their "shot in the arm." We all need it.