I got my vaccine… and with it, the freedom to plan again. One little prick and my entire perspective changed.
Johannesburg, South Africa (28 July 2021) – So I had my first vaccination on Saturday, and I cannot tell you how good I feel… not just health-wise but more so, the bubbling inner sense of excitement.
It’s been almost 500 days of dealing with this thing in South Africa, and that has meant almost 500 days of staying home.
It’s been really tough on my mental health!
I used to travel all the time – like every second weekend – whether locally or internationally, and all of a sudden, not only did that stop, but I was literally stuck in my house. And don’t get me wrong, I really love my home and am thankful to have had such a beautiful sanctuary during this time, but good grief, I have missed the sense of adventure, of exploring new places, seeing new people and being… well, free.
At the beginning of 2020, we got to spend a week in Bali. It was such a flipping rad holiday, and then just before the lockdown was implemented – and this shitshow started – I got to go to Swakopmund and Etosha… there really is something special about Namibia.
And then we stayed home. Yes, I write good things, but a perk of the job is that sometimes I get to write good things from a beautiful beach, or the bush, or in the heart of a gorgeous city. And since February 2020 I haven’t had the freedom to really travel.
We stopped planning anything and just focused on surviving, on getting through this thing. First, it was 21 days, then 3 months, and then a year and now almost 500 days.
But I got my first vaccination on the weekend and suddenly I have a refreshed sense of freedom as well.
I received some pretty nasty comments from random strangers about getting it. A person even commented that they were excited to see me die (because I got the vaccine) and then when I re-posted the comment… the same person (most probably) reported me to Facebook for “hate speech”. They reported themselves for hate speech.
A bizarre side-effect to getting the vaccine is dealing with other people’s hate. I also got the odd “well, I won’t be getting it” comment (thanks for that useless bit of information), as well as questions as to why I was posting about it. Someone even accused me of being paid for it. LOL. I literally laughed out loud.
So why did I post about it?
I posted about it because I am excited. I posted about it because I am proud of my decision… like I took one for the team, and I kinda feel like I’m on the right side of history here. I also posted about it because getting it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The first roll-out plan only had my cohort scheduled for next year, and the thought of being stuck in my house until 2022 made me feel ill, so getting my jab was a huge sense of relief.
And with it, the freedom to plan again. One little prick and my entire perspective changed.
So here’s to doing things again, planning trips and just living.
Watch out world, here I come!
Also, please don’t fight with me if you’re not planning on getting a vaccine. I’m totally okay with getting one. I’m also okay with you not getting one. We don’t even have to talk about it. We can just be happy with each other’s choices. I think that’s a vibe. Just being happy for each other.
That’s it. Stay safe. Love you. Bye.
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