The Shot

On the surface, last Thursday was looking to be a normal low-key unexotic day for me and my spousal unit.  The morning started out a tad earlier than normal though as I had to get up before noon since we had to take a slight road trip.  It wasn’t a bad day at all for Minnesota in March as we were scrunched in between 2 storm systems.  The plan was to take the vehicle she drives since it was getting low on gas and we would be going past a cut-rate convenience store called the “Tank & Tummy” on the way back and it would be a convenient time to fill ‘er up.  Now I’m not the macho type and it’s not necessary for me to be in the driver’s seat like some guys, after all, I’ve been driving legally since June of ‘62 when I got my driver’s license.  I had a couple years experience prior to that driving carnival equipment all over the state so we wouldn’t have to double back, but that’s another story.  I figure that since I’ve been pounding the pavement going on 60 years now, I’ve earned some ride time, besides, my wife’s a better driver nowadays anyway.  Now all this, so far, seems quite innocuous and on the verge of putting you to sleep, however, the reason for this road trip is for something that millions of folks are waiting to benefit from, so much so, that they drive miles and miles to wait in long lines to receive something that only takes a couple seconds.  That’s right, we got lucky and didn’t have to drive far and wait long at all to get “The Shot!”

See what I did there?  I used the word innocuous in sort of a puny way and it means harmless and sounds similar to inoculate, which isn’t.  Anyway, my sweetie got her 2nd Moderna and I got the Johnson & Johnson.  I was also going to get the Moderna, but with the affinity I have for needles like Indiana Jones has for snakes, I’ll take the one shot special.  On the way there, she did her best to tell me that the needles are the thinnest known to man and I won’t even feel it.  I knew immediately that that was not entirely true.  It won’t matter how thin they are, I will always feel it.  Most folks I spoke with said they didn’t know they had it till they heard the word, “next,” however, I am the proverbial exception to the rule.  I explained to the young inoculist in the white smock at the Thrifty White Drug Store my Indiana Jones correlation and he had the sympathy of a Marine Drill Sergeant.  I’m just glad he didn’t make me drop and do ten right then.  He was pretty clever though, he swabbed me up with the paint brush and started counting to 3, but stuck me before he even got to 1.  Did I feel it?  Yes, but it wasn’t bad, till the next day.  Luckily, a sore arm was the only after effect I had.  In the end, the day that was destined to be just a normal innocuous unexotic day turned out to be quite extraordinary.  My wife and I grabbed each other’s hand, made a positive decision, crossed the streams and took one for the teams.  Stay safe and stay tuned…..!


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 17, 2021 at 12:51 PM

    Does your aversion to needles really explain why you won't let the dentist give you novocaine?

    ReplyDelete

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