February 18, 2021
Perseverance
Perseverance landed on Mars today. Such a great feat of optimism. Such a good name for today. Such a good metaphor for what many of us need now, not just resilience. I didn’t get to watch the landing live, but I spent time watching the video of the landing. The intensity of the flight control room was palpable as the Perseverance Rover landing module went into the final 7 minutes of being incommunicado while in the final descent. The scientists had to let go and wait, powerless, trusting their hard work would be successful. Success was then celebrated.
Perseverance. Many of us need reminders to not give up right now. It would be so easy to do. So many obstacles are blocking us, from weather to politics to what feels like a futile search for a vaccine. And then when success is near, weather happens and prevents delivery of the vaccine and appointments are cancelled. More vaccine is on its way; but the delay is agonizing since many are so close, after being careful for almost a year. 90% of Washington’s vaccine are delayed this week due to weather interfering with shipping. Other parts of the country are affected too. We had winter weather here last week that caused delays then and rescheduling of immunization clinics.So this further delay can feel especially painful. One 90 year old took the chance and walked 3 miles one way through the snow and then 3 miles home again to not miss her immunization last week since her appointment had not been cancelled.
Perseverance. Here is a link to a website that has compiled the sites in Washington that are giving the vaccine. When the vaccine starts shipping again, it will be a useful site. Tips and help are out there. Don’t give up on the vaccine and don’t give up on your care for yourself or others.
Wash your hands, cover your nose, keep safe six, and persevere. More vaccine is coming.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/world/mars-perseverance-rover-landing-scn-trnd/index.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/state-says-90-of-vaccine-shipments-to-washington-are-delayed-this-week/
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/18/world/covid-19-coronavirus/winter-weather-has-disrupted-hundreds-of-thousands-of-us-vaccinations
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/18/world/covid-19-coronavirus/how-far-would-you-walk-for-a-shot-try-six-miles-in-the-snow
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/10/covid-vaccine-appointment-websites/
https://www.covidwa.com
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/how-some-frustrated-covid-19-vaccine-hunters-are-trying-to-fix-a-broken-system/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/10/covid-vaccine-appointment-websites/