Today marks the 1st anniversary of our flight from Spain. It has been the first year in 40 that I have not flown anywhere. Last night I got my first vaccine shot. A year ago last night DH and I were downing a bottle of Spanish wine, then bringing the rest of our wine supply (along with a batch of groceries) to our Spanish neighbours. We also gave them our apartment keys to let us back in just in case the flights were cancelled (again!) by the time we got to the airport. I hope to have many more flights to and from Spain in future years, but as part of a joyous cycle, not a panicked get-me-on-any-combo-of-flights-possible-to-get-home flights.
I know the world has a long way to go before things return to “normal,” but I am blown away by how much has been accomplished during this year. The fact that vaccines were developed and are already massively decreasing the hospitalization and mortality rates is an amazing testament to science and information sharing among scientists. I hope that this better side of our nature wins out going forward, and that the nightmarish horrors brought on by disinformation and atrocious political leadership continue to recede. (I’m not naïve enough to believe that will happen, but who would have believed a year ago that we could have millions of people worldwide vaccinated against a new disease?)
Happy anniversary, world!
