My Second Shot
By Gene Aronowitz
In September 2021, I approached the check-out counter at a local organic coffee, nut, and seed store when I had finished selecting what I wanted. The salesperson smiled and asked, “How are you?” I responded, “Never better, just had a second shot.”
I often have a problem being understood as well as understanding. You see, there are multiple definitions for almost every word in the English language. The word “go” has 368 definitions; the word “set” has 430; and “run” has 645. If someone says something to me, I must first determine if the speaker is thoughtful and articulate, and then I have the difficult task of picking the most likely definitions for the spoken words.
On that day, the salesperson might have thought I meant a second shot of espresso from the free coffee machine located at the other end of the store. But she smiled and replied, “Good for you,” and there was no doubt in my mind that she knew that I was referring to my vaccination.
Such was our ability to communicate about one subject on September 6, 2021, a year and a half after COVID-19 arrived on our shores. Clarity and comprehension were created by a collective COVID-19 consciousness.
A version of this memoir is included in the book 23 More Memoirs.