This past Saturday, I got on an airplane for the first time since December 2019. It was just a twenty minute flight to Honolulu, but it felt like a big step forward. Ron and I were able to see our daughter and son-in-law for the first time in…well, since December 2019, for me. And though we talk a lot between phone calls and Facetime, it’s not the same as seeing people in person and sharing a meal.

In fact, Saturday evening was the first time I’ve eaten in a restaurant in well over a year.

Yes, we are ALL vaccinated. Of course we are! We got our vaccines as soon as they were available to us.

Hawaii still has a mask mandate for when people are inside, and many of us still wear masks in many outside situations. (Probably not at the beach anymore, though.) Even so, I was very surprised how things suddenly felt “normal.” Sitting in a restaurant for two hours without a mask didn’t bother me, and weirdly, since then, I’ve almost forgotten to put my mask on a couple of times in situations that demanded it.

That said, Hawaii’s case count continues to slowly climb. As elsewhere, we need more people to get vaccinated. I see it as a civic duty — essentially, a gift to our fellow citizens. I’m extremely grateful that there is a vaccine. We are so fortunate here in America that we have access to it. There are billions of people in the rest of the world who would dearly love the opportunity to be vaccinated — but it will be a long time before many of them have the opportunity that is available to us now.

Posted on: Monday, June 14th, 2021 at 8:08 am
Categories: Hawaii.