Well, in spite of the complete lack of confidence I expressed in my last post, I received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday! I purposely scheduled it for a Friday so I would have the weekend to recover if I had any side effects. So far, the side effects haven't been bad, and I tend to think I'm beyond the point at which they would be likely to get worse. I'm feeling achy and tired today--if I hadn't had this shot yesterday, I would probably think I was coming down with something--but I'm still functioning.
I also feel relieved and grateful. I think most of us have spent the past year worrying about the consequences of ordinarily inconsequential decisions (was the weekly trip to the grocery store going to land me or someone else in the ICU?). Now (or at least a couple weeks from now, after I've had a chance to build up immunity) these small things will probably feel less consequential.
Many thing will stay the same. I will still be careful to wear masks, especially since we don't know if the vaccine will prevent us from being carriers. Most people I know have not been fully vaccinated yet (or even received their first shot), so it will still be a while before I can socialize in person. But I think in a couple of weeks, I can feel safe getting my first haircut since last February, and maybe even eat in restaurants again. It feels like good progress.
