The Story of an Anti-Vaxxer
Eighteen years ago, I knew a woman who didn’t vaccinate her kids. She was uncomfortable with the number of shots given to very young children whose immune systems weren’t fully developed. There was a theory at that point that although communicable disease infections had dropped as a result of vaccines, cancers and autoimmune disorders were rising alarmingly, and that vaccines could be damaging children’s immune systems in ways they didn’t yet know. This woman had her babies delivered by a midwife who supported her choice not to vaccinate, and her pediatrician advised her to get a religious exemption so that her kids could attend school. She belonged to a co-op preschool alternative with other like-minded moms. She felt confident that she was doing the right thing. The reason I know so much about her is because the woman was… me. Looking back, my friends and I were so arrogant. When my parents tried to convince me to at least get some of the vaccines, I rolled my eyes- they clearly didn’t know what they were talking about. Life went along smoothly for many years. There were no outbreaks of mumps or polio to threaten anyone’s health. Then came 2020 and Covid. When people started talking about the Covid vaccine I got nervous. I knew that the vaccine issue was going to be opened up in a way that could become uncomfortable for me and my family. My first reaction was resistance- I didn’t believe in vaccines. Since I had been opposed to vaccines all along, the fact that this one was a “new” type or the idea that it was “rushed” didn’t actually bother me. It’s just that it was a vaccine, and we didn’t do that. Luckily I didn’t fall into a group that was eligible for the vaccine right away, so I had plenty of time to mull it over. Compared to a lot of people, my own life wasn’t disrupted by Covid too much. I still went to work as usual, and no one I knew became seriously ill or died. But I was so, so sad about how my kids lives were affected. My daughter left her elementary school at spring break of fifth grade and never went back- then had to start middle school in the middle of a pandemic. Even worse, my son had his senior year of high school ruined. Not only did he miss all the normal things a senior would do, but he was supposed to travel for a trumpet competition, a summer music festival, and all-state orchestra. Everything was canceled and he spent the year doing school in his room at home. By the time I was eligible for the vaccine, my attitude had become “Just give me the stupid shot so we can get back to normal.” When they approved Pfizer for eighteen and older, my son wanted it immediately, and although I was a little worried about it, I let him get it. But when they approved it for twelve and up, my old fears really returned. My son insisted that my twelve-year-old daughter get it right away. When he asked why I was hesitating, I told him I just wasn’t sure what the vaccine might do to her. His response: “You don’t know what Covid might do to her.” I brought up the fear about damage to her reproductive system and he said “These are scientists. They’re not going to make a mistake that would wipe out the human race. She’ll be fine.” When did my son get smarter than me, anyway? It was when I brought my daughter for her first shot that my perspective truly shifted. I thought about the scientists who worked so hard to develop the vaccine to get us out of this pandemic. I thought about the lives that would be saved. I thought about how relieved people must have been when the polio vaccine came out. No wonder my parents were so upset that my kids weren’t vaccinated! They lived through a time where they actually had to fear a serious disease… and now I had, too. Life is wonderful when you have the opportunity to change your mind. Before my son went to college, he got caught up on his vaccines. He could have submitted his religious exemption, but he felt that would be dishonest. He was critical of my decision not to vaccinate them, saying that only “right wing conspiracy theory nuts” don’t vaccinate their kids (no, no! I was a left wing conspiracy theory nut!) I still stand by some of my beliefs. I still say I had the right to question what went into my kids’ bodies. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably give my kids their shots on a delayed schedule. So what do I think about the people who won’t get the Covid vaccine? Well… It’s complicated. I’ve been there, so I can empathize. If someone has been an anti-vaxxer all along for their own personal reasons, and is willing to accept responsibility for their own health, then they shouldn’t be forced to get the vaccine. Those people are few enough that it won’t affect the rest of us. The goal isn’t to eradicate Covid, but just to make it manageable and less dangerous. If someone isn’t getting the Covid vaccine for political reasons, like they think there’s a conspiracy involving Hillary Clinton, the pharmaceutical companies, Barack OBama, and the lab in China (believe it or not, I’ve heard all about this one) then they need to shut the f*ck up and get the shot. Stop being ridiculous. But what do I know? I’ve been wrong before and I’m no longer arrogant (well, about this at least, ha ha.) We don’t need to be 100% vaccinated in order to get past this pandemic. I do think people who don’t get vaccinated are taking a risk, but hey… you do you. I’ll do me, and I got the shot. I know this is a
So Much to Feel Good About
Welcome to the Midweek Mashup! I know… there’s a lot of bad news these days, and anxiety is running high. I can see it in my massage clients- it seems like a record high number of them are coming in because they “just need to relax.” In light of that, I’d like to share a few articles that may make us all feel better. 1. The pandemic is on its way out, but SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay. This article explains why you can stop worrying about Covid. It gets a little technical about how the immune system works, but the general takeaways are: The reason why it was dangerous in the first place was that it was novel, meaning no one had immunity to it. Eventually it will spread through the population, and everyone will be exposed to it, either through infection or vaccination. Antibodies are fleeting, but you don’t need them- once you’ve been exposed, the T cells in your immune system remember the virus- and T cell memory lasts a very long time. Viruses mutate very slowly, and your T cells will recognize a variant as the same virus. You won’t be immune from infection, but your T cells will fight the virus quickly enough to keep you from getting seriously ill. Everyone will probably be mildly infected with a variation of Covid every couple of years (kind of like the common cold) and this will act as a little immunity “booster.” The elderly and immunocompromised population will most likely get a vaccine booster periodically- just like they get a flu shot. Voila! We’ll live with Covid, but it won’t continue to disrupt our lives. 2. The perception that everyone else is awful is evidence that everything is alright. This article by Mark Manson explains why, even though our country feels so divided right now, this is actually an example of “evolutionary stable strategy.” He explains that a species survives and thrives by having a diversity of traits within the population. He goes on to argue that this is why democratic societies are more successful than tyrannies. Democracies embrace diversity. Although diversity means differences and conflict, it’s also healthy. According to Manson, “The fact that we’re exposed to enough diversity of thought and lifestyle to be so annoyed by everyone demonstrates that the system is working.” I know…. it’s a tough sell. Would we really want a society where everyone thought the exact same way? Hmmm, as tempting as it is to say yes, when other people aggravate us maybe it will help to remember our society is better with a healthy dose of diversity. 3. Wait! Isn’t this a running blog??? This article by Peter Bromka is a “love letter to marathon training.” He ruminates on what exactly lies ahead for him in his upcoming marathon buildup- the hunger, time, patience, emotion, and the satisfaction that all go into marathon training. Get ready for the quote of the week: “Those of us fortunate enough to arrive in summer ‘21 vaccinated and strong, able to breathe deeply without concern and push ourselves without hesitation, have had a year to better realize that a marathon place or personal best cannot define the worth of a running life well lived.” Peter Bromka publishes a weekly newsletter called “The Positive Split.” Check it out for some more beautiful writing about our sport. Did I cheer everyone up? Okay, maybe you’re still worried about Covid and upset about the political situation in our country, but at least we have running- something we can always be grateful for if we’re able to do it. How’s your week going? Are you able to get out and run?
Weekly Rundown- Back in the Groove
Hello Everyone! I hope you guys had a great week. I had a week where things seemed to click into place- my knees felt better, my foot felt a little better, and I was more comfortable with the heat. I lost my heat acclimation while I did all those weeks of pool running. When I started running again the heat felt like it was trying to kill me- this week I finally got more comfortable with it. I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. Let’s get started! Monday I did a 45 minute yoga flow class with Denis Morton on the Peloton app. I loved this! One of my goals this week was to do five yoga classes (two flow, one power yoga and two restorative classes) and this was a great way to start the week. Tuesday As a warmup for my run, I did a 20 minute strength for runners class with Matt Wilpers. I picked one with no weights, but it turned out this was heavy on plyometrics. I don’t do plyos because of my plantar fasciitis (sigh) so I modified that part of the workout and did front, back and side lunges instead. Then a three mile run, which felt great. My glutes were definitely ready for it! Wednesday Again I did a Peloton strength for runners class as a warmup. I picked another Matt Wilpers class with no weights, this time a ten minute class. This one was mostly… lunges. Between yesterday and today, I did a lot of lunges. I guess a runner’s strength class with no weights is most likely going to include lunges, because they’re effective. Another three mile run which felt great! At night I did a 20 minute restorative yoga class with my Peloton yoga BFF, Denis Morton. I’ve been having some sleeping issues lately (well, for quite a while now actually.). Even on nights where I get into bed at a reasonable time, I often can’t fall asleep. I slept really well this night, though! I think I might have to start doing a restorative class every night. Thursday Today was dedicated to strength training. After two days of lunges and more lunges, I went in a different direction and did Becs Gentry’s 20 minute Core for Runners class. QUICK SIDE NOTE- did anyone else watch the series on YouTube about Becs running the Olympic marathon trials in Great Britain? She ran 2:32:01 and came in 4th, WHAT!!!??? She is an official badass! I want what she has! Give me all the Becs classes. I loved this class- lots of single leg work, which I need. I was going to do another class after this (since this one was only 20 minutes) but I ended up going back and doing parts of this one again. Sometimes it’s hard to do a class for the first time- I felt like I missed some parts while I was trying to figure out the moves and keep my balance. I’ll definitely come back to this one. Friday I didn’t do an official class as a warmup before my run, but I did some moves from Matt’s classes. One thing I love is hip circles- you’re on your hands and knees as if you’re doing fire hydrants, but you circle your leg forward and then backward. The thing that’s different from when I’ve done this before is you make the circles REALLY BIG. You’ll really feel the muscles in your glutes working when you make the circles huge. And I also did lunges. Then a three mile run, which felt really good. I had a little extra time before I had to be at work, so I did a 10 minute yoga flow with… Denis Morton. Of course. Saturday 45 minute power yoga class with Denis. Once again, I loved this class. My big triumph was getting into Warrior 3 pose. Up until the last couple weeks I hadn’t done yoga in years, and for some reason I thought I couldn’t do Warrior 3. I think I was just afraid- but today I simply lifted my leg and ta-da! Warrior 3. Of course I could do it. This class left me tired, but in a good way. Also energized and stretched out. My plantar fasciitis foot really likes yoga. Sunday Warmup of hip circles and lunges, then a 7.5 mile run, woohoo! The run was planned for 7 miles, but by going a little further I was able to hit a second water fountain. More is always better, right? What could possibly go wrong? Ha ha. Well, nothing went wrong with this run. It was hot and humid, and I was thrilled to be out there doing it. So that was the week! I have one more restorative yoga class planned for later today, and lot of relaxing. Do you have a three day weekend? – I have to work tomorrow but we all have Tuesday off (our schools are closed for Rosh Shanana.) Anyone running a Labor Day race? Any fall weather yet where you’re at, or is it still summer?
Pumpkin Palooza Coffee Date!
Happy Pumpkin Palooza! Oh… what’s that, you ask? WELL. Pumpkin Palooza is a fall festival that begins on September 1st, and ends on Thanksgiving. You can think of Thanksgiving dinner as a sort of “closing ceremony” to Pumpkin Palooza. On September 1st (the opening ceremony) the house is decorated for fall, a special pumpkin breakfast is served, and the fall holiday mugs make their first appearance of the year. If you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of this festival, it could be because the only people who currently celebrate it are my sister and myself (and our families… grudgingly.) But I’m here to spread the word! Get out your decorations, find a great pumpkin waffle recipe, and start sipping your coffee/tea/hot chocolate from a festive pumpkin mug. I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the September Ultimate Coffee Date! If we were having coffee together, I would tell you that while Florida is a disaster area, Covid-wise, at least I’ll be looking snazzy in my favorite pumpkin mask! When I unpacked my box of fall decorations, I didn’t know whether to cheer or scream when I saw this mask. When I packed it away last year, I really didn’t think we would still be wearing them now. But… here we are! I’m glad I didn’t throw it away. Another thing I would tell you for this pumpkin-themed coffee date is a baking tip. I read this on another blog years ago- to get the right amount of flavor, always DOUBLE the amount of pumpkin spice called for in a recipe, and add a pinch of cloves. I did that with my favorite waffle recipe from Minimalist Baker. I highly recommend this recipe! The only weird thing is that it doesn’t call for salt. So I add it, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Always use salt in baked goods! And double the pumpkin spice. If we were having coffee together, I would ask how you feel about fall. Here in Florida, “fall” is more an idea than a season. Our temperatures will remain in the 90s through October. The leaves don’t change color, and we can’t go apple picking. But I still love the idea of all those things! I love hearing other people’s descriptions of fall up north and seeing pictures of fall scenes. So tell me… do you love fall? Are you having fall-like weather yet? Pumpkin spice… yes or no?