As of this past Sunday, I have had my two COVID vaccine shots. I’ve kept it quiet on social media because I do not feel it is my responsibility to post that stuff. My wife and I have both gotten both shots, we have not told anyone other than family and close friends and neither of us had posted a picture with our vaccine cards. This is not me saying that people shouldn’t do that, do whatever you want after you get vaccinated, just get vaccinated.

I do want to tell everyone who reads my blog my story of getting my shots. I assumed I was going to fall in the final tier. I’m a stay at home dad, I run and play basketball, I’m not completely unhealthy, I do not have any underlying medical conditions and I’m still relatively young. It made sense to me to have to wait. And I did. I waited a few months after the vaccine was starting to be distributed. I wanted my folks to get it before me and they did. I wanted my in laws to get it before me and they did. There were people who needed it well before I did. After all of those people got their vaccine, then I’d get mine. Then one day my wife found an opportunity to get her shot. I was so happy for her. I wanted her to get it before me too. She is the bread winner in our relationship, so she deserved the vaccine before me. So I took her to her first appointment. We wanted to be as safe as possible. We didn’t know what, if any, side effects she might have, so we figured it was easiest for me to drive. And we did have to go on a little journey. The vaccine rollout in Missouri has been very bad. All the rural spots got the shots well before the bigger cities and counties. Our governor is an idiot, and I fully assume he did this on purpose. The rural areas voted for him, and us in the city and county did not. He treated the rollout like a spoiled child taking his ball and going home. I will go to my grave believing that. So we made the trip, it was about an hour, and she was ready for the shot. While we went back, I peppered the people with questions. I had so many. I just wanted some kind of timeframe for when I could get my shot. Then a day later I got a call from the same clinic, and they had a shot waiting for me. I was euphoric. I sped back to get that first dose. When I got it I wanted to cry tears of joy. It was amazing. I couldn’t believe that I was on my way to being vaccinated. It was pure joy.

As far as side effects, my arm hurt where I got the injection. It was sore, it hurt more when I used it, but it was nothing that stopped me from continuing my daily routine. It also only lasted one day. I was totally back to normal after that. The same thing happened to my parents. Sore arm that only lasted about 24 hours. Then it was the waiting game again. My wife and I both got Moderna, so we both had a four week wait. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I kept living as I have lived the past year. I had my mask on in stores, I still ordered pickup from restaurants, when running and hiking with friends my mask was on, basically nothing changed.

Then the time came for the second dose. This was the biggy. After this one, in two weeks time, I’d be 94 percent protected from COVID. So we drove again, got our second shots on the same day and are in the midst of being fully vaccinated. The second shot wasn’t as euphoric as the first, but it was reassuring. It felt right. It was the smart, scientific and right thing to do. As far as side effects from the second shot, for me it was largely lethargy. I felt pretty tired the day after. I drank tons and tons of fluid. I took it easy. The only thing I did that was even remotely vigorous was taking my dog on a walk. That was all I felt like going. I also had a mild headache. From what I’ve heard I was lucky. I know people who had fevers that lasted for two-three days. I know people who had internal issues. I know people who felt like not getting out of bed for a day. I’ve heard some horror stories, but all those people have confirmed that they’ll gladly take a few rough days if it protects them from COVID. No one regrets their decision to get vaccinated. I don’t either.

Now that I’m fully vaccinated, not much has changed since my first shot. I still wear a mask. I have seen a few more friends who are also vaccinated, or on their way to be vaccinated, but we are still masked. I do not go to restaurants to eat, but I will go in to pickup food rather than having it delivered. I do have more confidence going inside the grocery store or hardware store or whatever I need to do errands. I feel more comfortable with my upcoming races. I am confident that my son and daughter will have baseball and softball this summer because all of us coaches will be fully vaccinated. Things seem a little bit better. I know we have variants out there and cases are up ticking, but as long as we stay diligent and keep vaccinating four million people a day, I see some light at the end of the tunnel. This pandemic is not over, not yet, but hopefully we are getting to a point where we can return to some kind of “normalcy”.

I’m glad I got the vaccine, I’ll definitely get any booster that’s required and I’ll stay vigilant. Also, these vaccines have made me so much more appreciative of doctors and science. That’s why we have this finally. Go get vaccinated. It’s easy enough when you get an appointment, and it’s more than worth any side effects and your time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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