Hell-to-the-Yes!
Aside from being the day we celebrated my wife as the amazing and wonderful mother that she is, this past Mother’s Day also marked another milestone for my wife and me.
No, not our wedding anniversary, nor a fitness or food goal.
This moment was the end of our two-week window after taking our second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. That day, we were officially protected from the virus.
We joined the herd.
That evening, we decided to go out for dinner. Dining out for family has been a true rarity for us over the past 13 or so months. We’ve sat down at a restaurant about four or five times. Outdoors, of course.
That Mother’s Day evening, we went to one of our favorite bar-b-que restaurants and sat in their covered patio.
We were all in great moods. We had just spent an hour perusing the local Barnes & Noble, the sun was out, and we were ready for dinner.
After we placed our order with our server, another family settled in across from us. They were a large family—about ten in all—occupying two tables so they could talk back and forth to one another.
I’ll admit: I’m an eavesdropper, so when I heard a young man from this family ask his table if they were getting the vaccine, most of the unmasked group shrugged or said they were thinking about it. A lady to his left—maybe his cousin or sister-in-law—replied with, “Hell-to-the-no!” after which she and the young man fist bumped.
Fist bumped.
That’s a celebration, right? That’s encouragement. An agreement. A deal made?
So, that’s fine. They’re not going to take the vaccine, and obviously they’re going to celebrate it. Lots of people are.
But as we all start to emerge from our homes and into the world, please try to show some respect by asking people how they feel about gathering. Whether they’ve been vaccinated or not, try to respect their choice, and give them the space they need.
We’ve all just been through the equivalent of a world war. It’s still going on, in fact. Therefore, we simply cannot resume life thinking it was all just a bad dream. It’s not time to party…yet.
That’s what respect is about. Respect for self, respect for others, and respect for health and human safety. Now that deserves a fist bump.
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