So I just got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine and holy h*ll, did that hit me like a truck. I got a nasty headache, chills, nausea, the whole nine. I’m not gonna lie, it sucked. But hey, that’s got to be a good sign that it works right?
Even still, it was kind of surreal sitting there, left arm exposed, waiting for a vaccine that seemed up to that point, a children’s fable, like Santa Claus. And then, as quickly as I sat down, it was over, the nurse hurriedly filled out my vaccination card, told me to wait outside for 15 minutes, and then let me go on my way.
We still have a good ways to go on a global scale, resistance to vaccination efforts continues to be problematic in achieving herd immunity, news reports and social media are currently abuzz with the rather dire situation in India, in which while the country has contributed much to the production of the vaccine, its own citizens are suffering from a lack of access to it. Big things are happening, and we are a long, long way away from COVID-19 becoming a distant memory.
It’s a whole new world out there, it’s a lot different than the one we knew in 2019, and it’s still different than the one we knew in that fustercluck that was 2020. I live in Riverside, California where even dine-in restaurants and movie theatres are open to the public again. Even the CDC just announced that it was relaxing its masking guidelines for those who have been vaccinated.
I won’t lie, in a way it all feels “strange” on a personal level. I’ve become rather accustomed to wearing my mask. I check news apps daily for signs of resurgences and the whatnot. Again, “Back to Normal” has a bit of a long way to go.
Yet a new day brings its own challenges and its own offering of respite, so I look forward. I count my blessings, and for a moment, I breathe.
The Waterhole 
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