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soniaI got my Moderna booster last Saturday morning. It's a half-dose, and the side effects weren't nearly as bad as they were with the second dose back in February. Half a night of insomnia instead of a full night. A bit of body aches and chills, but nothing like wondering whether I could make it down the stairs for a day.
I vaguely considered a Bay Area trip in the summer, but I missed my window before the delta variant took off. Now I know that immunity decreases over time, and that cases will be flat or more likely increasing over the holidays into spring.
It would certainly be safer to stay home. And easier. I don't travel well even in non-pandemic times, between food and fragrance sensitivities, and general dislike of being bullied by airlines. My biking buddy who has watched my cat in the past is moving to Pittsburgh.
But. I adore the Bay Area. I have good friends there, some of whom are older. My singing teachers are there. There's a concert I want to attend next month to the point of tears. I called a friend, and I could stay with her and borrow her bike. I called my past petsitter, who is miraculously still in business. I looked at plane tickets. I thought about quarantining for a week or two after I got home and closed the browser with cold feet.
I thought about it some more, got encouragement from a client I mentioned it to, reopened the browser, and bought a refundable ticket. I think the price went up while I thought about it, but I needed to go through my process. I bought concert tickets for myself and the friends I'll stay with, too.
Like with the heat pump, I'm excited now that I decided. The process felt similar. 1) WANT. 2) You don't get to have that. 3) Wait, I'm a grownup now, I think I can.
I vaguely considered a Bay Area trip in the summer, but I missed my window before the delta variant took off. Now I know that immunity decreases over time, and that cases will be flat or more likely increasing over the holidays into spring.
It would certainly be safer to stay home. And easier. I don't travel well even in non-pandemic times, between food and fragrance sensitivities, and general dislike of being bullied by airlines. My biking buddy who has watched my cat in the past is moving to Pittsburgh.
But. I adore the Bay Area. I have good friends there, some of whom are older. My singing teachers are there. There's a concert I want to attend next month to the point of tears. I called a friend, and I could stay with her and borrow her bike. I called my past petsitter, who is miraculously still in business. I looked at plane tickets. I thought about quarantining for a week or two after I got home and closed the browser with cold feet.
I thought about it some more, got encouragement from a client I mentioned it to, reopened the browser, and bought a refundable ticket. I think the price went up while I thought about it, but I needed to go through my process. I bought concert tickets for myself and the friends I'll stay with, too.
Like with the heat pump, I'm excited now that I decided. The process felt similar. 1) WANT. 2) You don't get to have that. 3) Wait, I'm a grownup now, I think I can.
