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LIFE IS ONE BIG
CALCULATED RISK |
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I was on the couch last Saturday, not exactly miserable, but
certainly not feeling 100%. A slight headache, and maybe a little chilled.
I staggered to the medicine chest in the bathroom and got our
trusty thermometer, which hadn't been used in years because fortunately
neither my wife nor I seldom get sick.
I returned to the couch and slipped it into my mouth, trying
to hide my excitement. Five seconds later I had the result. I turned to my
wife and grinned with satisfaction.
"101.3," I smugly exclaimed. "Are you
jealous?"
She put the television on pause and sighed, as I knew she
would. "Are you really going to suggest your immune system is
superior to mine?"
Why wouldn't I? We were both remarkably lucky to receive our 2nd
shot of the Pfizer vaccine the day before. And now my immune system was
knocking on my door and hers was silent.
"You realize that getting sick or not doesn't mean a
thing," she continued. "Some people are just more sensitive than
others."
"Exactly!" I cried. "My immune system still
has the sensitivity of youth. Older people are less likely to feel the
effects of the 2nd shot. But not me. I'm creating antibodies as we speak,
and my body is letting me know. I'm so proud of myself."
She was not quite as impressed. "I read that half the
people getting a 2nd shot have symptoms, and half don't." She looked
at me wrapped up in blankets on the couch, a ginger ale nearby.
"Lucky you."
"Jealously does not become you," I replied,
reaching for some Tylenol. "You'll be even more jealous when I feel
fine in the morning."
Which I did, fever gone, antibodies clearly present, immune
system as silent as hers. We both were thrilled to be protected, and
couldn't wait to get back out in the world.
Then we made the usual mistake of watching the news Sunday
night. There was a piece titled something like, "Once you're fully
vaccinated, can you get back to a normal life?" Naturally, they
turned to the experts for answers.
Sometimes experts can be really irritating, and this was one
of those times. There were four of them, and they each answered questions
posed by the newscaster, such as "Would you get on an airplane?"
"Would you eat indoors at a restaurant?" "Would you have
friends over for dinner indoors at your house?" and "Would you
hug your grandkids?"
Three of the four experts basically said no to all of the
above. Their concern, of course, was that even though you are vaccinated,
there is a very slim chance (not yet proven) that you could still carry
the virus and infect others.
"ENOUGH!" I cried. "NO, NO, NO! I've been a
good soldier in the war against COVID, but I'm moving on. I want my
honorable discharge and the vaccine gave it to me!"
My wife was a little less emotional. "We definitely
still have to wear masks and social distance for a long time to
come."
"Of course we do," I replied. "I get that, and
I'll follow all the health guidelines like a good citizen. But I'm also
going to be first in line for indoor dining, travel, and hugging my
grandkids."
I was on one of my rants. "These experts always err on
the side of caution. Maybe they should suggest we all never ride in a car
again, too. I looked it up. 30,000 Americans die in auto accidents every
year and 4.4 million are injured. Imagine how safe we'd be if transit was
eliminated?"
"Life is a calculated risk," I continued. "And
the risk of a fully vaccinated person transmitting the virus is, by these
experts own admission, either very low or maybe even non-existent. Sorry,
fellow humans, but I need to take that risk."
My rant was over. I looked at my wife and was amazed to see
she actually listened to me. I couldn't tell if she agreed with me or not,
though.
"First of all," she finally said after a few
moments of silence. "Will you agree that your immune system is no
better than mine?"
That was easy. "Yes."
"Good. Now that we've made that clear, I'll agree with
you and the fourth expert who said she'd eat indoors, travel on an
airplane, and hug her grandkids."
That was fortunate. I would have missed her. |
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