MEEKER | I don’t know whether to laugh or cry but the last year has brought us an emphasis on strange terms that have defined our lives.
Herd Immunity–The term makes me feel like our human problems are linked to cattle. When the cows come home, will we all be safe? I never thought of immunity being linked to animals.
Social Distancing–Well really, how can you be social and distant at the same time? I get it – six feet apart, no hugs, masks on, shout at your friends, and check their ID for vaccine status. Totally friendly and social. Ha!
Vaccines–When did this become an ugly word? I was vaccinated way back in the 1950s for polio (with no choice by the way) and today as a senior for things like shingles and pneumonia not to mention flu. My children couldn’t attend public schools or college without certification of vaccines. Vaccines are not a new thing and protect all of us.
Anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers–Anti is an ugly word right there, a black and white sort of definition. In America we give everyone the right to object and I try to understand every point of view. A kinder term would have been “I choose not to …”.
Worldwide pandemic–seems to me most Americans think COVID is just about us, our backyards, our right to travel and of course why we Americans get vaccinated first. Do we really think about the fact that this is truly a worldwide issue, not just us?
Color coded regulations–I guess the State of Colorado intended to make it easy for everyone to understand our COVID status by assigning colors to define current conditions. Sorry, but the color thing didn’t work for me. Now we’re orange instead of blue? Related to a new Broncos color scheme?
Long haulers – those folks who continue to suffer COVID over the long term. Some people who contacted COVID have lingering health issues and there are few answers. It’s more than a trucking issue.
Context–Don’t you mean background or research or reminding us of something we’re supposed to already know? This word leaves everything wide open to fill in whatever and call it “context.” What a lazy explanation!
Normal–I’m not sure if we’ve been there, want to go back there, never existed there anywhere, or if it will be a Disneyland like event in the future. I’m done with the concept of normal. It will be what it will be.
New Normal–If “normal” wasn’t so great, why would we want to re-invent it? The words “new” and “normal” just don’t go together. Let’s just drop the normal concept altogether.
It’s been a harsh year and we’re just starting to emerge just like our grass and flowers, peeking out and focused on survival. We hope our neighborhood is safe and can move onto new opportunities and new terms. I’m done with the old ones.
By KAYE SULLIVAN – Special to the Herald Times
