Recently I spent some time transferring cell phone photos — thousands of photos — from my Apple iCloud account to an external hard drive. In the process I combed through my snapshots from 2019. It was difficult not to notice just how active we were throughout the year. We did so much and, judging by the photographs, had a hell of a good time. There were countless smiles and so much joy as we went to a Twins game, the Children’s Museum, the state fair, parks, the pool and actual indoor parties at friends’ homes. I attended a Ben Folds concert, a Wilco concert, and my Facebook moms group met at different bars most Wednesday nights and held an amazing mom prom in May. Trick or treating, Thanksgiving and Christmas with family soon followed. Finally, to ring in the new year, we attended our friends Matt and Molly’s annual New Year’s Eve party, complete with 2020 party favors. Looking at the photographs of my friends and I celebrating with our 2020 party hats and glasses, perhaps a wee-bit on the tipsy side, I couldn’t help but feel an impending sense of doom. 2020. Doe-eyed and innocent, we had no idea what was coming. What, in fact, was only a few months away.
Examining these 2019 photographs, I find myself thinking of it as the last normal year. It is becoming more and more clear that Covid is going to be with us for the unforeseeable future, if not forever. I keep hearing how we need to learn to live with this virus and figure out our “new normal,” yet I can’t help but long for those carefree pre-Covid days. I’m tired of everything being unprecedented and could really go for some of those good old precedented times. Covid fatigue is real and only exacerbated as we deal with a polarized America steeped with misinformation spreading, anti-mask and anti-vaxxer fuckheads who are too busy doing their own “research” to bother listening to reason. Instead, they apparently wish for this thing to go on forever. To what end, I can’t say. So they can call the rest of us sheep? Well, baaah on them. This sheep is grateful to be vaccinated, as the current Covid surge in Minnesota is largely hospitalizing and killing all those unvaccinated scholars who chose to do their own research instead of following the advice of renowned experts. You know, because conspiracy. Along with Covid fatigue comes compassion fatigue. At this point, I feel zero compassion for the anti-vaxxer and anti-mask crowd who now find themselves on ventilators in the hospital. You had your chance. You blew it. I’m only sad that you’re taking up much needed space in the ICU that could be used for a more deserving person instead of your reckless, selfish ass. Does this make me a resentful bitch? Fuck yeah it does, and I’m okay with that.
I mourn for what we have lost. The images of 2019 fill my heart with sadness as I miss feeling so carefree. I miss the before times. I realize cell phone photos generally represent our best moments, although I did stumble upon some photos documenting the trials of potty training, which was anything but a good time. However, even those photos are pretty funny and still make me smile.
Recently I posted a pro-vaccination article on Facebook and an old high school friend responded by pointing out that vaccination does not prevent infection and how the only thing she trusts are well run scientific studies, which are lacking with Covid. Of course they are lacking, as the virus is fairly new and these types of studies take a while to conduct. BUT more than enough data has been gathered to show that Covid vaccines greatly decrease serious disease, hospitalization and death. You may still get infected, but chances are it won’t kill you if you’ve been vaccinated. I hear reports everyday on the local news regarding the number of ICU beds occupied by the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated, and those numbers make it pretty evident that being vaccinated is more than worthwhile. Simply put, vaccines work in preventing deaths. Vaccines are effective. Just ask smallpox about the effectiveness of vaccines. Oh wait, smallpox no longer exists. Nevermind.
Examining these 2019 photographs, I find myself thinking of it as the last normal year. It is becoming more and more clear that Covid is going to be with us for the unforeseeable future, if not forever. I keep hearing how we need to learn to live with this virus and figure out our “new normal,” yet I can’t help but long for those carefree pre-Covid days. I’m tired of everything being unprecedented and could really go for some of those good old precedented times. Covid fatigue is real and only exacerbated as we deal with a polarized America steeped with misinformation spreading, anti-mask and anti-vaxxer fuckheads who are too busy doing their own “research” to bother listening to reason. Instead, they apparently wish for this thing to go on forever. To what end, I can’t say. So they can call the rest of us sheep? Well, baaah on them. This sheep is grateful to be vaccinated, as the current Covid surge in Minnesota is largely hospitalizing and killing all those unvaccinated scholars who chose to do their own research instead of following the advice of renowned experts. You know, because conspiracy. Along with Covid fatigue comes compassion fatigue. At this point, I feel zero compassion for the anti-vaxxer and anti-mask crowd who now find themselves on ventilators in the hospital. You had your chance. You blew it. I’m only sad that you’re taking up much needed space in the ICU that could be used for a more deserving person instead of your reckless, selfish ass. Does this make me a resentful bitch? Fuck yeah it does, and I’m okay with that.
I mourn for what we have lost. The images of 2019 fill my heart with sadness as I miss feeling so carefree. I miss the before times. I realize cell phone photos generally represent our best moments, although I did stumble upon some photos documenting the trials of potty training, which was anything but a good time. However, even those photos are pretty funny and still make me smile.
Recently I posted a pro-vaccination article on Facebook and an old high school friend responded by pointing out that vaccination does not prevent infection and how the only thing she trusts are well run scientific studies, which are lacking with Covid. Of course they are lacking, as the virus is fairly new and these types of studies take a while to conduct. BUT more than enough data has been gathered to show that Covid vaccines greatly decrease serious disease, hospitalization and death. You may still get infected, but chances are it won’t kill you if you’ve been vaccinated. I hear reports everyday on the local news regarding the number of ICU beds occupied by the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated, and those numbers make it pretty evident that being vaccinated is more than worthwhile. Simply put, vaccines work in preventing deaths. Vaccines are effective. Just ask smallpox about the effectiveness of vaccines. Oh wait, smallpox no longer exists. Nevermind.
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My sons received their first Covid vaccination shots last week and I was filled with gratitude for having made it this far and gratitude for the scientists who worked so hard to get us here. I am hoping it’s one more step that will strip away some of the anxiety and stress that has become part of daily life since March 2020. Unfortunately, I am afraid that along with learning to live with this virus we will also have to learn to live with those people who choose to cling to the idea of their rugged individualism at the expense of the common collective good of the human race. It is this concept of individualism that is poisoning our country and contributing to America’s death culture. Whether it’s the latest mass shooting or the 762,000 and counting Covid deaths, mass death in America has become normalized. It doesn’t have to be this way. It really doesn’t.
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| Yes, I'm judging you! |
