Member-only story
I’m Vaccinated! So Why Don’t I Feel Safe?
New Habits are Hard to Break
I’m at the Philadelphia International Airport waiting to board a flight to San Francisco, and I’m feeling anxious. Why? There are TOO DAMN MANY PEOPLE waiting to board this flight. Sure, they’re all masked — and most of them are even wearing their masks properly.
Too Many People
But nobody is social distancing. They can’t. The boarding area is packed. There isn’t room for us to spread out.
I shouldn’t care. I’m vaccinated!
According to the CDC, fewer than 6,000 COVID cases have been reported in the 84 million fully vaccinated Americans. That’s an infection rate of 0.007. And none of the few folks who did get COVID became seriously ill or died.
Which means? I’m not going to get COVID. And even if I did, I wouldn’t end up on a ventilator.
So why do I still feel anxious about being surrounded by so many people?
Because I spent months focused on the dangers of COVID, and changing my life in drastic ways so that I wouldn’t get it, and it’s not easy to return to my pre-COVID mindset.
Changing My Ways
For a year, I didn’t spend time with family and friends. I lost the job I loved because I refused to work…
