A New Hope

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Christina and I got vaccinated! We shared the good news on social media, so you know it’s legit.

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Michael Estrin @mestrin

Joy seems like too small a word to describe what I'm feeling right now. But joy will have to do because I just got my first shot!

We got our shots at Dodger Stadium. Before we went, I thought, this will be a great story. I had several reasons to be optimistic on the story front.

1. This life-saving shot has been more than a year in the making. Talk about climactic!

2. I’d be getting the vaccine with my life buddy, Christina, who is always up for adventure.

3. I’d be interacting with strangers, and chit chat with strangers is story gold.

4. Sean Penn’s organization, CORE, runs the Dodger Stadium vaccination center, so there was an outside chance of a latter-day Spicoli sighting.

But as it turned out, only two noteworthy things happened.

1. This was the first time I didn’t have to pay for parking at Dodger Stadium.

2. We got vaccinated!¹

I consider item #1 a Los Angeles miracle. Item #2 is a global miracle. At least, I hope the miracle spans the globe. Miracle distribution takes money, time, and political will. We need more of all three before humanity declares victory.

Anyway, I didn’t get a story. But after the shot I was overcome with joy, relief, and a feeling I’ve pushed aside this past year—hope. As you know, hope springs eternal, and it’s spring in my part of the world, so maybe the hope thing tracks. I don’t know. I’m not a spring chicken anymore. But I am a hopeful middle-aged man. And so after we returned home, I made a list of all the things I hope to do this year.

The list is long. And a little personal. But I do want to share one item from my 2021 hope list: tell more stories from out in the world.

Those of you who followed my stories on Facebook know what I’m talking about. In the before time—the pre-apocalyptic past, if you will—I found stories everywhere. These days, I still find stories, but they mostly take place at home, and that gets stale. Basically, I need new locations and fresh guest stars. Thankfully, with one dose in my arm and one more to go, I have the right stuff to take this show on the road soon!

But enough about me and my 2021 hopes. Leave a comment and tell me something you’re hoping to do after you get vaccinated.

1. I realize this information is redundant, but it’s so damn exciting I told you twice.