Sixth Covid Shot

I am so sore this morning.  There are many possible reasons why.  I started yesterday morning by going to Walmart when I decided I must begin eating vegetables again.  It's not like I haven't eaten any veggies, but my cookie consumption has outpaced my vegetable consumption.

I came back home and got to work in the kitchen.  I wanted to do something with the apples in the fridge that weren't aging well.  When I bought apples throughout the fall, I thought I would have a supply to last the winter.  Sadly, that was not to be.  I made the last of them into an apple chutney, which will jazz up my lentils.

I had some leftover oatmeal, so I made up a batch of bread, most of which will be used for communion at Faith Lutheran in Bristol, Tennessee.  And then I went over to do some work on quilts for Lutheran World Relief.  In short, I was on my feet much of the day.

And then, when I came back from quilting, we went over to get our Covid vaccines.  It's our 6th shot, and even though we had Covid back in September, it seems wise to get a boost, particularly since this vaccine has some protection against newer variants.

So far, I haven't had much of a reaction.  My arm is sore, but I expect that.  And we both fell asleep last night at 7.  Feeling like I want to go to bed at 7 p.m. isn't that unusual for me, but it is for my spouse.  Actually going to bed at 7 p.m. and sleeping soundly through the night is unusual for us both.

This morning I woke up sore all over, but I think it's more about being on my feet much of Wednesday than because of the vaccine.  Still, I'll take it easy today--no need to push myself into anything more severe, like a pulled muscle.

As I drove away yesterday, I thought about the fact that my vaccine card hadn't been updated, and that's not really a surprise.  It's been a long time since anyone asked me for proof of vaccination; we are clearly on to the next phase now, what I think of as the "God speed and good luck" phase.  Various people on social media are dismayed, and I understand.  Yet at the same time, I've known for a long, long time that we are all essentially on our own in these days of _______ (waning capitalism, ascendant capitalism, political infighting/gridlock, schisms of all sorts, catastrophe of any variation, so many ways to fill in that blank).

But I feel lucky that the health insurance that I get through the Affordable Care Act covered the vaccine at no cost to me, that the local grocery store had a dose, that I didn't have to wait, that I am fairly healthy still, in these days of all sorts of sickness being transmitted.