The wait is almost over, as I am scheduled to get my first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on June 1.
I felt a lot of emotion as I sat on the Alberta Health Services website, trying to get my spot in the queue. It seems like an eternity since this pandemic took over the world. With this booking, it felt like an end was finally in sight.
The last year has been chaos. We have all been through so much as we try to navigate this whole thing. I know for me, it has been difficult. I am someone who likes his alone time, but the pandemic showed me just how important human connection is.
It also showed me how much I took simple joys for granted, like going to the mall or to a bar for a beer. Who would have thought we would be in an age where you can’t go to these places or do these types of activities?
The hits just seemed to keep coming. When I moved back to Alberta from Saskatchewan last June, things seemed to be on a positive trend. With low case counts, it felt like we were close to getting back to normal, although vaccines were still in the development stages. Fast-forward almost a year, with pretty much two additional waves of the virus, we aren’t even close to getting back to normal.
I have been fortunate enough to be working and busy throughout the pandemic. I feel for those who haven’t been as fortunate.
If there has been anything this last year has taught me, it’s that persistence and self-assurance can take you a long way, especially when you have no choice but to be on your own.
In previous columns, I've written about how things always get better. If you flashback in your life five or 10 years – maybe to your last heartbreak or other life-changing event – I am sure you can recall that hopeless feeling, where you didn’t know how you would manage. Look at yourself now, though. You are still here, and you are still fighting the good fight.
It’s incredible what a positive mindset can do when times are tough. When this pandemic started, we had no idea how it would pan out. Now, Albertans are getting vaccinated by the tens of thousands every day and we can finally start to think about life after the lockdowns.
I don’t know what life will be like when this is all over, but I can’t wait to gather with friends at a bar again or go to my first live concert in more than a year.
We are almost there. I urge everyone to look back at their COVID-19 journey to this point and be proud of how you managed to get through this.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
