I finally got my latest COVID booster. I had been waiting since August for a time I could be sick for a few days, because I heard this one was rough. Eventually you have to take your chances for the greater good. I was thinking of Boar’s Head in particular. And I got it, and was at work the next day with only minimal yuckiness.
I was telling a friend this story and she said there is a new COVID variant out there, heading straight for us like a hurricane. She had heard that the booster I just got didn’t help much against the newest strain. We talked about the choices we were making in terms of social gatherings and work schedules, and shrugged our shoulders. Who knows what is best?
When I got home I looked up information on the new variant, and the booster does help according to CNN. I was relieved about that. I wanted to think that everything was going to be fine, but that is simply something no one can say. I have been careful but doing mostly what I want to do. Maybe I should start wearing a mask again. My life is complicated by lots of large gatherings and the fact that I have grandkids I want to spend time with regularly.
Our current reality is that we live with a constant high level of anxiety. We pretend otherwise. Maybe we don’t even pay attention any more. But every day, every minute we could get sick and there is nothing we can do about it. And while in some ways that has always been true, maybe it also hasn’t been quite so scary.
This stress takes a toll on our lives, our health, our relationships. It eats away at our pretense of normalcy. It causes us to question things we never considered before-like the potential dangers of grocery shopping. It makes us wonder where God is in all of it.
And here is what God is saying to me about it—take care of yourself. Exercise and eat a healthy diet. Cherish your family and friends and tell them you love them. Do things that are meaningful and generous and make the world better. Be reasonable about your choices, savvy, with the right amount of caution. Stop expecting what we have called normal, and build something better.
Understand the toll of this anxiety beyond your control and be kind to yourself and others. And choose your coping mechanisms with intention.