June 23, 2021
I have marked an upcoming day
on the calendar in my iPhone, and it’s the first time I’ve ever done that. The
page for Tuesday, July 6 now has the words “Freedom Day” on the top. Because
that day is two weeks from yesterday. And yesterday, David and I received our
second Moderna vaccination.
Being a little on the anal
side, I mentally prepared myself to do as close to nothing yesterday, after the
shot, as possible. I’ve heard from so many friends that the second shot made
them feel ill, with varying degrees of all different symptoms. So, I thought it
would be prudent to plan to have a couple days that could very well be spent
resting completely and doing nothing, if necessary.
While I don’t do nearly as
much these days as I did ten, or even five years ago, there really are few days
where I do nothing. I never got the hang of well, just hanging. But I’d
made the decision a few days before getting the second shot to try and do just
that. It seemed preferable to assuming I’d be fine, and then becoming annoyed if
it turned out that I couldn’t carry on, business as usual.
We were both pleased, when we
arrived at the fairgrounds, to see that the parking lot was full. Everyone
there had an appointment, and the clinic, which is run by the county health
unit, was as well organized as it was in June when we went for our first shot. Our
appointment was for 10:55 am. We entered the building just a minute or two
after that time. We followed the queue to the registration area, then moved on
to the active area. By 11:10 we’d received the vaccine, and then were directed
to the waiting area, where we spent fifteen minutes waiting to see if we had
any immediate adverse reactions.
Exactly on time, at 11:25am,
we checked out of the clinic, which meant we were given a receipt for the
vaccination, a printed record of proof that we’d received it.
Upon leaving the fairgrounds
and since we haven’t been out and about very much, we took the opportunity to enjoy
a short drive. We may have been mostly staying put for the last year and a half,
but this town of ours sure hasn’t. There has been one major building on a
secondary street torn down. It was a building that had been in this town since
well before we arrived—one that had served as a post office and a police
station and had even appeared in a movie starring Julianne Moore (The Prize
Winner of Defiance, Ohio). There’s been
a lot of construction, both downtown and in an area just west of where our
house is situated, on top of the hill. Part of this town is in a valley, and it’s
terraced valley, as the two rivers that run through our town have changed over the
eons. We now have four round-abouts on the main road on the hill, and not just
houses have been built up there. While there are various kinds of new housing
including townhouses and single-family dwellings, there is also a new
commercial area, including a new burger place that isn’t open yet. All of this
new construction has been put up in the last year and a half where a farm—or two—
and an orchard used to grow.
We didn’t stay out on our
drive for very long, but it was a nice break.
I’m not sure if, when the two
weeks it takes for us to be considered fully immunized have passed, whether I’ll
begin to go out and about, shopping, or even dining out. At the moment in my
neck of the woods, only patio dining is being offered, and I have never been a
fan of that. From what I can tell looking at the description of the province’s “road
map to reopening”, it’ll likely be the end of July or even early August before
indoor dining will be offered.
As to any adverse reactions to
the second shot, at 11 hours post jab, there was nothing. David’s arm was a bit
sore, the day of and even more so this morning. He also said he felt as if he
was coming down with a cold, and I think he went through that same sense of ick
last time. As for me, when I awoke this morning, thank you, Lord, I felt fine.
I do know that once we hit
that two-week mark that I will be safe. It’s more of a question of whether
or not I’ll feel safe. A lot of people are having challenges in that
regard, and I wouldn’t be surprised that when the time comes, I’ll feel the
same way—hesitant to go out and leery of crowds. If that happens, I plan to
continue to wear a mask—and I am going to keep some masks here, on hand, in the
weeks and months and years to come for times when I have a cold. I think it would
be wise and considerate for me to wear one if I come down with the sniffles.
In the meantime, I’m going to
carry on today with a lighter schedule in an abundance of caution and then look
forward to “Freedom Day” in July.
And maybe when that day comes,
and if indoor dining is available, I’ll surprise myself. Perhaps by the time
the end of July rolls around, I’ll be ready.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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