Winning

“Our phones haven’t been ringing. I guess we didn’t win the Vax-a-Million.

I feel like being able to travel like this is winning, though.”

We were both vaxxed against Covid prior to the lottery being announced, but it was a nice perk to dream of winning a pile of cash, and it seems to have driven up vaccination numbers as intended. If you are not yet vaccinated and want to be, check for incentives out there. Some state and local governments are still running lotteries or offering straight up cash in smaller amounts. Some pharmacies are at least offering coupons / store credit.

I’ve spoken with a variety of folks who have shared their vaccine views in recent weeks. Some have medical conditions that, per their doctor, preclude them from receiving the vaccine now (or perhaps at all). Others because of health conditions have self-diagnosed themselves as being ineligible, but upon discussing with their doctor were told their health condition was why they should take the shot. When in doubt, discuss with your doctor. And be kind to everyone regardless of their status, and regardless of whether you know their status – it’s not a straightforward decision for everyone.

But anyway.

Over the course of two weeks we road tripped in Betty the White Car over 3,600 miles through six states and three national parks, visiting family and listening to music and three audiobooks along the way.

New music included Andrew Greer’s follow-up to the (Dove-nominated) album that made my pandemic bearable, Tune My Heart 2 … Songs of Goodness & Love. Late in our adventure I got hold of Mitch McVicker’s A Shrugging of the Shoulders. You need both of these.

Books we listened to on the road:

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier. The title may sound like this is a fundamentalist Christian conservative perspective on the subject (it was the target of attempts by activists to ban its sale), but it’s actually a fairly straight-shooting treatment by an investigative journalist. If, like me, you’ve wondered whether there is an epidemic of teens identifying as transgender who maybe aren’t really (and therefore we’re doing them a disservice by allowing /encouraging transition) … or we’re just hearing about it more in the information age / it’s become more socially acceptable to come out … this is definitely food for thought worth a read. A complex and nuanced subject for sure.

Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society by Judy Christie & Lisa Wingate. This is a follow-up to Before We Were Yours, which I haven’t read yet but have on my list. For decades a lady in Memphis profited from selling babies to adoptive parents, and many if not most of those babies were acquired dishonestly and often illegally. A fascinating true crime story.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. An engaging novel notably narrated by Tom Hanks.

Since returning from vacay I’ve been to a wedding and a funeral and I’ve binged three audiobooks:

Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad by John Eldredge. Yet another always-needed reminder to ban busyness from our lives and unplug from the interwebs on a regular basis.

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Codebreakers of World War II by Liza Mundy. I think I saw this in the gift shop of the National WASP Museum in Sweetwater, Texas. So many Rosie the Riveters and women military pilots and indeed codebreakers met a cultural expectation post-war to jump back into domestic 1950s American housewife perfection. Much of these women’s experiences were, for national security reasons, classified for decades. No one knew because no one was allowed to talk about it.

Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Life by Eric Metaxas. This is Eric’s memoir of his early years and coming to faith in Christ, but he does it with such skill that the book consists mostly of hilarious anecdote after hilarious anecdote. It’s a bit of a lengthy tome – I recommend listening at 1.25 speed. I found myself getting so lost in Eric’s crazy stories as the son of two immigrants (Greek and German) it was easy to forget this is more than just an autobiography of an intellectual writer’s writer. Trust me, stay for the end.

And with that, happy summer. Travel if you can. Enjoy post(ish)-pandemic life wherever you find yourself.

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