Member-only story
To Vaccine or Not to Vaccine
I’m a leper in my own family
“You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it.”
―Roy T. Bennett
I made the choice to live my life without the vaccine, and it has cost me hugs, laughter, freedom to visit family, and so much more.
It’s as if I have Leprosy, and I’ll contaminate those I love with my breath, my smile, my presence, my lending hand.
Didn’t you know it’s not all that contagious — being a leper? Ha!
It’s not so black and white, living in this world amid a pandemic. You get the vaccine? You take risks of having foreign entities entering your otherwise pure host of a body. You don’t get the vaccine? You risk carrying the virus that kills. But this virus kills not just life in the energetic form but life in form of normalcy, warmth, comfort, familiarity. It kills hope that life will ever be the same again. It kills dreams that I can see anyone, at any time, without masks, without questions, without looks of worry, of hate, of disgust, of judgment.
I used to be able to see you on a whim, whenever I wanted. Whenever you wanted. But now? Now all I can do is drive by your house and give you a wave from my car as you wave from inside your house, behind the window…
