Scared of social un-distancing? Many of us still need time to thaw. Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
But I, among others, have found myself afraid to return to even CDC-approved activities.
We ve been frozen in place by trauma. Now we need time to thaw.
Just let it go, they begged.
You ll get one when you get one.
I ll admit I was obsessed. Vaccines were supposed to be the end of a long, traumatic journey one marked by hospital visits, panicked trips to the grocery store, and total physical isolation from nearly every person in my life.
I fled New York City for my mother s house in California a year ago to deal with long-lasting symptoms of a COVID-19 infection I d gotten in March 2020. I d hoped the sunshine and proximity to family would help, though I had also grown afraid of any densely crowded environment like the one that had gotten me sick.