i Don't Have

Massapequa NY

18 July, 2021

12:01 AM

Description

Oh, I do hope I am wrong. But is the pendulum of Covid fear ever so gently, silently and with determination returning to our midst? Yesterday I was denied admission into a beauty salon until I had a temperature reading despite showing my vaccine card. This morning a thoughtful gentleman stood a short distance away. As I approached, he held the door open but before I got closer, he asked without humor, "Have you had your two shots?" When I answered affirmatively, he then smiled and said, "Good. You've heard about Delta." Then he remained patiently waiting with courtesy until I entered the open passage. I understood his concern. Yet, I am reluctant to return to the iron armor of fear that gripped our nation not so very long ago. I dread the panic that filled our lives until the names Pfizer, J&J and Moderna gave us back not only hope but some emotional tranquility. It is ironic that for years the dreaded illness was the Big C. It invaded my world twice with ferocity. First it silenced the gentle wisdom of my Dad, the beloved "Magician," I have often written about Then with equal savagery, the Big C conquered my beloved and changed my life forevermore. When that happened, I thought I could fear no more, but before long, the arrival of another hitherto unknown assailant taught me a new lesson. Humanity, without distinction of age or physical fitness,was immersed in sudden peril. Covid, a word new to our vocabularies, threatened everyone on the planet, without any mercy. Seemingly life stood still. Then the miraculous advent of available vaccines allowed us to view quietude again. Now that may be filtering ever so slowly away. As I sense the movement, I wonder about the choices and/or decisions of those who refuse the shelter provided by available vaccination. I comprehend their right of choice, but does it overcome an equal responsibility to be their brother's keeper? Admittedly, I do not have the answer, but I think, not only the nation, but the world needs one quickly.