When the syringe needle sunk into our trusting flesh yesterday all was well. Neither of us felt the penetrating prick, that brief, sharply painful reminder that our deltoid muscle hosted an intruder. That, thanks to the skill of the MD administering the dose. Later, back at home, we went about our usual business just glad it was over. Irving said he hoped that would be it, the last time we'd have to submit to a vaccine for this viral predator that has made so many people on Planet Earth ill, and far, far too many delivered to their maker.

 

And then I shared with him a brief news item to the effect that Israel had opened the floodgates of a fourth shot, for its immune-depressed, elderly population, and we sighed. As the world's latest leading light in timely responses to the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19, we can perhaps assume that what starts in Israel will end around the world.

 

By the time dinner-time entered the picture the injection site had become painful. For me, not for Irving. And as the evening progressed, I became -- dimly at first -- aware of feeling tired, a sore back began to invade my consciousness, and eventually before bedtime the realization that every insult my body had sustained over the past decade, with strained muscles and ligaments, tendons and bruises had suddenly been resurrected. I ached literally, all over. I felt lumpish and frail. And so physically drained all I wanted was to crawl under the bed covers. Thank heavens, it was only me, and not Irving as well.

 

Sleep that night, though badly needed, was elusive. I couldn't find a relaxed posture in bed to encourage sleep to calm and help restore my body to its former condition. I would doze, and find then myself fully awake, trying to find a more comfortable position. When morning came I wasn't certain it would be a good idea to get out of bed and meet January1st, 2022. But of necessity I did. By then, Irving was beginning to feel a little off, though he never graduated to full-on misery. Breakfast: fruit and tea for me.

 

But thankfully it didn't take much longer before I felt like me again. And we took ourselves and our puppies out to the ravine for the first trek through the forest trails in this new year of 2022. The temperature had soared to 2C under a heavily overcast ceiling that brought a brief interval of light rain earlier in the morning. We both felt a little tired, but otherwise in fine fettle.

Hello, 2022!