I’m still not sure why, but I got my first vaccination shot today.

I took the kids to get their first COVID-19 vaccination shots today. We let them decide for themselves whether they wanted to get it or not. They all said they wanted to so when my wife got an email about a vaccination even sponsored by the local Chinese Friendship foundation we got them signed up.

I have been against getting the shot for quite a while now. I’m not an anti-vaxxer. I’ve gotten all my regular vaccinations as a kid and made sure my kids got theirs as well. What has bothered me the most about THIS vaccine is the way it has been forced down everybody’s throat. Our incompetent governor has decided to have a lottery for those who get vaccinated to win money or college scholarships. Everyone’s attitude about just seems ridiculous. As to whether it is actually safe and/or effective, I still have doubts, but that’s a different story. It just seems to me that this early in the game it should be a choice. We shouldn’t be coerced into doing it. I think what gets me the most is the whole idea of having to show a card to PROVE that I’ve been vaccinated. This is America. We shouldn’t have to show any papers other than ID to travel or to enter businesses or restaurants. It really bothers me that people are so willing to give up freedoms and rights just for a little bit of safety. And I do mean “little”. There’s not enough studying done yet about the long-term effects of the vaccine or how effective it really is.

Given all that, I’m really not sure why I decided to go ahead and get the shot today. We were sitting in my car going through the drive-through clinic they’d set up. I was giving the assistant all the information about my children as another nurse started administering the shots to them one-by-one. I got the idea in my head that even if my fears about the vaccine are true, I’ve just subjected my children to this unknown, and my wife has already gotten hers last week. I just thought that even if I’m right to be cautious about it, it doesn’t really matter if my family has already got the shot. So, I asked the assistant if I could get the shot on-the-spot without an appointment. She said “sure thing”!. So I gave her my information and rolled up my sleeve.

So, I guess a summary of the experience for me is that it doesn’t matter if I’m right - it’s more important to be together with my family. If we all start growing extra limbs because of this vaccine, at least we’ll all be growing them together. ;-)