Waiting

Whew, here we are. The end of November. I hope you’re keeping well. C’est busy, hereabouts. I muddle through by grasping at little routines: the morning walk, the afternoon walk, the evening walk (hehe); the weekly games with friends; the Friday calls with family; and so on. On we go, as ever.

I got my flu shot this week, through the ever-excellent Ottawa Public Health. It was about five minutes (maybe fewer!) from walking in the door to getting the shot in my arm. Wow! (It was an appointment easily booked in advance. Kudos to OPH.)

After getting the shot, I waited fifteen minutes to make sure I didn’t have any adverse reactions. I’d planned to listen to a podcast—something I rarely do, so I’d looked forward to the opportunity. But I took my headphones out of my ears almost immediately: instead, I revelled in sitting near other people, nobody “doing” anything, overhearing murmured conversations and the quiet rustles of people waiting for time to pass. I realized that it’s been so long since I’ve been able to do that! Those interstitial moments of sitting in a lunch room, a library, a train station, or similar—they’re a beautiful way to feel connected to others while not needing to actively engage in conversation. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed them.

Getting the shot also left me wondering how it’ll feel to eventually get that other shot in the arm (or two). With the technological and logistical challenges at play, I’m not getting hopes up for my getting a COVID-19 vaccine anytime soon, but I’m glad to see progress in that space. Lauren Dobson-Hughes wrote a good thread on the challenges of vaccine distribution in the best of times—a sobering glimpse at the challenge that remains.

That’s all from me for this week—other than to note that those little blue containers of Oral-B floss have 9.2m of floss in them, roughly the height of a two-storey building, or two-and-a-half stories, depending. Wow! All the best for the week ahead.

Lucas