We have been living in a Covid world for a year. Masks on. Keep your distance. Someone is coming too close to me on my walk, it is time to cross the street. Who is in my bubble? Uh-oh is this tickle in my throat Covid?

Toilet paper, I must stock up on toilet paper. What about disinfectant wipes? What about masks? I must get supplies. I must make sure that I have enough. Is there ever enough? Should I get more? And finally, the mayhem slows down. Everyone has enough and life returns to the Covid normal.

Restaurants are open. Restaurants are closed. Oh no, wait they are open again. I can eat outside or get take-out. That restaurant has dome bubbles. Are the tables distant enough from each other?. Maybe I will just order and take it home. Many have curbside pick-up so I don’t even need to go inside.

Click on this link ” Our New Normal in Pictures” for an interesting look at how we are adapting to this strange and yet relevant time in our lives.

I haven’t been inside many grocery stores in months. When I do venture into one, it is a treat. Yet I get in and get out as fast as I can. This crummy little virus can be hiding anywhere.

I bike alone. I hike alone, I walk alone (unless Cynthia comes along. She is in my bubble), and kayak alone.

I have become accustomed to this lifestyle and I am good with it. Since Jim’s death, I have been relearning to be solo again. I am glad I had practice before Covid arrived.

Now the next step has begun. The Vaccine is becoming available. Yet immediately we are back in the same messy situation that was featured in the early stages of this whole Covid year. There is not enough valid information available to the public. People are desperate to get the vaccine. In California, we were told that the 65-year-old and up group is now eligible. And once again it appears that people are scrambling to get that first shot. We hover over computers and try again and again to find any available appointment. If you know someone who has received their first dose, you may be envious or even jealous of the fact that they have received it and you have not. It is so hard sometimes to be human.

My first vaccine appointment is on February 8. Yep, I hit the jackpot, got on the computer at the right moment, and was able to secure an appointment. And remember the vaccine is not fully effective until you have had it in your system for 12 days.

I am trying to be patient. I am trying to remember to breathe. This will all work out, I know it will. How is this vaccine going to change my behavior? That is a question that we should all ask. In reality, it will not change what I am doing. I will still mask. I will still order to go. I will still socially distance. I will not hug anyone, well except my bubble buddies. Really, not much will change.

Having the vaccine will give me peace of mind. It will also help me be part of the solution to this pandemic. It is so important to be part of the solution.

It has been a roller coaster of a ride this past year. For those who have lost people to this horrible virus, it has been a hard and troubling year. As the numbers grow there are not many of us who are not affected by those we know who have succumbed. It has been a most difficult year. Although we can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, it is still a distance away and all of us must continue to cautiously move forward.

Through the next several months I will try to maintain an easier awareness stance and maintain the course. I will remember to breathe relax and be patient.

Today I am thankful for science, and the vaccine. Today I am even thankful for the crazy human experience.