Room To Breathe...

 

Hi!

So my hubby and I received the first shot of our vaccine!

Strange how one little poke in the arm feels so much bigger. It feels like the beginning of the end of this nightmare. It feels like a weight being shifted, on the verge of being lifted. It feels like we have a little room to breathe.

How lucky and privileged are we who live in places that vaccines are readily available and free, no less?

I watch the news and see what is happening in places like India and it's heartbreaking. Some lucky enough to make it into a hospital, get there only to find out there is no oxygen to administer. No oxygen?! They are literally suffocating. They are suffering a horrific shortage of vaccines, with no immediate access to more.

I can't imagine what a punch to the throat it must feel like when they watch the news and see people who have every advantage hold rallies protesting the very things they are so desperate to have.

Those who want everything to be back to 'normal', but also don't want to distance or wear masks or get vaccinated. The very things that have any chance of getting us back to how we used to be. Short of magic, the vaccines are what we have. 

I wish someone could make me understand the thinking behind all of these protests. 

What exactly are you protesting? Who and/or what is behind all of this supposed 'control' you're so afraid of? What is the end game for these 'controllers' exactly? Why are you so afraid of the vaccine? I have yet to find any legitimate data to support any of these fears. 

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of words floating around that, if based a bit more in fact than they are, would make a decent rough draft of some B version of a dungeon and dragons conspiracy movie. Words without merit do not data make. I've tried. I have followed links, researched those who share, and create them and what I have found is this. When you dive deep into these rabbit holes with critical thinking firing on all cylinders, what you discover is that those pushing these theories the hardest are not doing so with the greater good in mind. I really don't want to put names to paper, as I don't want to draw more attention to them or the lies they like to tell. 

A lot of the people behind these words have made a crap ton of money peddling fear. They've built careers out of it. Fear of immigrants, fear of government, fear of science, fear of social programs, fear of researching new kinds of energy, fear of LBGTQ+ communities, fear of masks, fear of vaccines. Fear. 

They like to say that those of us who have been doing all of the things, the masking, the distancing, the not seeing family or friends, the sanitizing, the staying home, all the things, are the ones living in fear. Let's just say the data doesn't support that theory either. 

It hasn't been easy for any of us. Any of it. That's why I'm all for getting to the other side of this as fast as possible. The only way from here to there is through vaccines. 

In the end, there will be some who refuse to get vaccinated. I just hope enough of us do so so we can send this thing down the road just like we did with polio, smallpox and so many others. 

The protestors say they are fighting for freedom. I'm still unclear as to what freedoms they feel are being stripped away? What exactly, specifically, are you fighting against? 

Safeguards surround us. They are inconvenient rules we all adhere to for the greater good.

Seatbelts. Speed limits. Impaired driving laws. Children's car seats. Not smoking indoors. Picking up dog poop. Littering laws. Capacity limits for venues for fire safety. Handicapped parking spaces. Traffic lights. 

Nobody is trying to take away any of your freedoms. Nobody is trying to control you. Nobody is trying to track you. All any of us are trying to do is get through this with as few casualties as possible. 

Too many loved ones lost. Too many dealing with long-term effects. Too many. 

The finish line is in sight. Let's just get there. 

We got this.

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May we all find our way to the other side of this.

May we, when it's over, get a taste of bliss.

May those who stoke fear find themselves screaming into an abyss.

May we soon be where we can safely, without hesitation, hug those we miss.

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