Wait or take part, understand that each is a choice

I got the first shot for my vaccine yesterday.  It is a scary prospect I'll admit it, the paper work tells you upfront that this is not an FDA approved treatment.  Provisional approval fro emergency use only.  Rather frightening when you consider this vaccine was shoved through the system in record time and the polio vaccine took how many years to develop?  People are doing one of two things, rushing for it or racing away.  

I tend to look at a few things when deciding on this course of action.  First, I took into consideration when the polio vaccine was first developed.  They started working on it in 1935 and didn't have a working vaccine that didn't infect anyone until 1948.  13 years and here we have a vaccine for COVID19 in 9 months?  Things are very different now, gene splicing is advanced and now they can work with RNA and DNA.  Will there be side effects?  Of course and the thought of them does have me worried.  However, chances of me turning into a zombie is pretty slim.

Second, I want to move forward with my life, with my loves and my friends.  I haven't been to visit several people who live down the street because I fear getting sick or getting them sick.  I want to hug people.  I miss being able to do that.  I want to be able to go out in public without a mask because it is safe to do so.  

I have been sick and so has my husband, it is awful!  When I got sick, my mother would stand 10' away from me and worriedly ask how I was feeling.  Her best friend ended up going to the hospital and we lost several friends to this.  She had a real reason to be frightened.  I was frightened that she would get ill just walking into my house.

There are several of my friends and family who won't get vaccinated.  Alot of them just want to abstain because they don't trust a vaccine that was developed so quickly.  Many remember the 1950's and "I'm from the government, I'm here to help you." They were from the government, and they weren't really interested in helping.  One of my friends grew up in the Tri-cities and grew up a "Down Winder".  There is a real reason for her to distrust the government.

The reason I did the vaccine was because at this point, the one I got has been released all over the world.  Digital data is being collected everyday and there are thousands of people all over the world posting their experiences with it.  I also did it because I want to be an active part of our solution.  I want to be an active part of making 2021 better than 2020.  I am investing in my health and the hope that there will be shows that don't cancel this year and because I am willing to take this chance, so that there is a better possiblity of 2021 happening the way I want it to.

I decided there are two ways to prepare for the future; sitting on the sidelines and watching to see what happens or getting up off of the bench and entering the field.  I won't resent those who choose to sit this out for a while, they have their reasons for the decision they made.  I will own the consequences for my choices and I am sure they will own theirs. In the end, I hope to hug everyone on the otherside of this.  Especially at the art shows.  

See you down the road.