A Shot of Hope
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” – William Shakespeare
It was Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse in Long Island, NY, who led the way, being the first person in the US to receive the approved COVID-19. Hers was done live during a press conference with the New York Governor on December 14th. And while the name Sandra Lindsay will likely quickly fade in the history books of time, the name of the 2nd person in the world to receive the approved vaccine, 81 year-old Englishman William Shakespeare, will live on in infamy as we were reminded of the enduring work of his namesake through lighthearted yet perhaps telling social media puns, such as, “To be or not to be vaccinated, that is the question.”
Who would have thought at the start of 2020 that one of the highlights of the year would be watching someone get a shot on national television? Or that one of my highlights would be receiving a shot!? While mine was not accompanied by the same fanfare, the feeling of elation I experienced was quite real and surprised me. Though “elation” was not a side-effect described in the pages of pre-vaccine literature I was asked to review, I suspect it will be a very common one.
What that small sting and shoulder ache represented for me was hope. It was a symbol that after 9+ months of a nation and world on the defensive against this overwhelming coronavirus invasion, our resistance was rising … literally. And not a moment too soon, as COVID cases overwhelmed emergency rooms and ICUs, and far exceeded our collective imagination of just how bad it could get.
Indeed, the “touch of nature” that is SARS-CoV-2 has reminded us that on this ever-shrinking planet earth, the whole world is indeed kin, and whether we like it or not, we really are all in this together. While there is still very much that is unknown about the vaccines, there was no question I would get it, and my sore arm the day following was a small price to pay for the hopeful reminder that 2021 will end much better than 2020. “To be or not to be together wiser” in the coming year, “that is the question.” May we far exceed our collective imagination of just how good it could be.