My husband and I were almost too excited to concentrate on much else in advance of our first Covid vaccine date last week. Like everyone, we are yearning to see and hug loved ones — both family and friends. The morning of we made pathetic jokes about having made schedule conflicts or perhaps lingering over morning coffee too long and forgetting the appointments. Semi-delirious. Slaphappy. Like kids in the back seat finally nearing the vacation destination.

We arrived at a similarly-inspired crowd at the Orcas Center. The atmosphere only heightened the mood with live music and old friends waving their hellos and “see you soons” with no irony.

It occurs to me that this is at its most basic level an entirely community-minded endeavor: just what will we do to ensure everyone else and not just ourselves in our community is safe and given the chance to go about their lives, being the best and most productive that they can be. I realize that we oldsters were first but we look forward with much anticipation that we will all be vaccinated in short order nailing this virus before dangerous mutations occur here and allowing us to get back to our schools, our livelihoods, our social lives and extended family gatherings again.

It also occurs to me that this ultimate sense of community is the only mindset that will pull us through in dealing with the existential threat of climate change. Sort of a “dry run” on how far we each will go in communally adopting ideas and new technologies to reach the targets we’ve set for ourselves before 2050. It all starts with love, pure and simple, and putting the “we” before “me.” I hope you might agree!

Thank you, public health officials! I’m one charged-up and unbelievably hopeful Granny.

Sue Bauer

Olga