Are you waiting for the coronavirus vaccine? I am but not very gracefully! I want it NOW! My nerves feel frayed. I vacillate between understanding the delay and wanting mine now, no matter what!
Because of a suggestion of an older friend, I registered at the New Mexico website and received my number several weeks ago. My husband drug his feet, thinking he’d wait for the Johnson & Johnson one shot treatment.
Then he had a phone call with his primary care physician on another issue, and the doctor quizzed him, “Have you gotten the vaccine yet?” He questioned him because Lin has been reluctant to take any of the vaccines until this doctor convinced him of the importance of the flu shot, specifically.
In response, Lin said, “No, I’m going to wait for the Johnson & Johnson shot.”
Our doctor responded sharply, “New Mexico has bought the two vaccines. There’s no guarantee they’ll buy the third one. Sign up!”
When he got off the phone, I signed him up. He’s eighty years old and within a few weeks he received a text to set up a time. He did and has taken the first shot at the Pit, the basketball court for the University of New Mexico.
When he went to get vaccinated, I rode with him, just in case he had any reaction. He didn’t and was really impressed with the efficiency of the operation there. They set up his second shot for mid-March, so he sees a light at the end of the tunnel!
As always, I turned to poetry to express my exasperated feelings:
I Hate Waiting!
February 28, 2021
Here I sit Waiting Waiting Waiting For the coronavirus vaccination! I’m 67 years old Old enough you’d think But In a nebulous zone Caught between Not old enough For the first priority group Not young enough Not to worry Shortly, we face a year’s anniversary Since this pandemic started. Quickly the talk of the vaccine began Questions arose Too soon? Too quick? Too everything? Tests held Thousands of willing guinea pigs More questions More waiting Then the day came! The vaccine roll-out started In the UK December 14, 2020 In the USA January 14, 2021 Yahoo! Yet I had some misgivings At first Total acceptance Now And I keep waiting! I’ve been obedient Watched my P's and Q's! Social distance Shelter-in-place Mask Wash hands religiously Quarantine After trips to Colorado To safeguard Lin At first, Obedient Patient Recluse Against my gregarious nature Fearful Cautious Now, Impatient Questioning Tired and exhausted I see the vaccine As the pathway To normalcy As the pathway To perhaps Instead I sit here Waiting, Is it tomorrow I get the long-awaited text? Is it this week? Or the next? Waiting to go back To go forward To do something proactive To undo what’s been Ongoing a year! I realize The vaccine is not a panacea! We still have to be cautious, But when we both are vaccinated We can think Of possibilities We can dream We can stretch Our shrunken imaginations To venture forth. Will the new world Demand I show My vaccine card At dances? For sure on airplanes For sure to travel To foreign countries Is this new sought-after card My entry Back into life? I’m waiting Waiting Waiting A possible silver lining For my wait! Maybe Johnson & Johnson Will be available When my time comes— That means one shot Instead of two! So, the waiting Once again, As is so often, Maybe the reward! I’ll wait and see!
Right now, in New Mexico, I have to wait for Phase 1A and 1B, because I’m in Phase 1C—60 years old and older. When I look at the list of people in the two phases above me, I shudder, because there’s many crucial people who should receive it before me. See the document: https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021.1.28-DOH-Phase-Guidance.pdf
So I will wait!
In closing, my turn will come. My life will change when it happens. Will yours? Are you getting the vaccine? Have you got it? Are you impatiently waiting like me right now? I’d love to hear from you.
Did you miss one of my blogs in February? Here’s a chance to see them:
- My Agony of Waiting
- Who Should Write a Foreword to a Biography?
- Valentine’s Day 2021! So Different Yet So Good!
- Remember My Extreme Costa Rica 2020 Trip?
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