I have recently received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and am scheduled for the second dose in August. This day of vaccination has been a long time coming. In March of 2020, when the world was shut down because of the pandemic, and we were told that it would be a year or more before a vaccine would be available for distribution, I remember feeling the burden of uncertainty for our society. With the heavy COVID restrictions in place for the spring and summer of last year, I also remember the summer not being as restful and life-giving as I needed it to be. I remember being COVID tired, both psychologically and spiritually, even when the summer had come and gone.
Although still feeling COVID fatigued, as many or most of us are, I am filled with a hope that I did not have at this time last year. The reality of the vaccination rollout is lifting my spirit, with the hope of a further lessening of community restrictions, as we look forward to the fall. That hope, not there last year, is changing the energy within me heading into this summer season. There is a lighter energy, a hopeful energy, a life-giving energy. This spirit of hope is drawing me into the restful months of summer with a more open stance, that should allow me to lean into the more gentle and restorative nature of summer.
For us Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, with such a short summer season, the May 24th weekend is when the collective provincial psyche shifts, and we get into summer mode. This year, more than any other year, we need to use these summer months—holding a vaccinated hope for the fall and lessening of restrictions—to get outdoors, to connect with the creation that we are a part of, and allow it to help heal us and restore us.
Many parts of the world continue to struggle with the devastating spread of the virus, especially those densely populated and poorer regions. We hope that our governments will do what needs to be done in the sharing and distribution of vaccine resources around the world. In the meantime, we vaccinated and travel bound Newfoundlanders and Labradorians live in a sparsely populated land that is spacious and full of beauty. I, for one, am looking forward with hope to a summer in my garden, on the trails, and in the kayak on the water, with spaciousness and intent on restoring my COVID burdened soul. I hope something of the same for you.
