Unvaxed not Antivax

 

To my family and friends:

Unvaxed NOT Antivax

I made a choice for myself that this was not a vaccine for me, based on my doctor’s recommendation, and on my own personal concerns. To call me antivax is untrue. I support your decisions for yourself.

 

Unvaxed NOT Anti-Information

I have researched the vaccine from a medical and a social concern, and not just on Facebook. I have read reasons for the vaccine and I have read reasons not to take the vaccine. I have read the numbers who have died from covid, and I have read the numbers who have died from the immunization itself.

 

Unvaxed NOT Anti-Science

I see the numbers and the statistics coming from the CDC every day. They make sure I do. They say follow the science. They don’t tell me anything about it, except do it, so I must search on my own. I read about a summit in Rome where over 5000 doctors worldwide are petitioning to be able to treat their own patients again, the way they believe the science leads them. I read about cures that are discounted even with evidence, and I wonder. I believe in science; the studies, the collaboration, the medicines, and the vaccines that have been tested and approved, with ALL the side affects stated, and the right to choose that science despite the risks. I learned about the difference in vaccinees for animal-based viruses, like COVID, compared to other vaccines like, polio, smallpox, mumps and measles, etc. Have you?

 

Unvaxed NOT Anti-Concerned

To say that I don’t care about people or society, that I believe in my rights more than the greater good, goes so totally against everything I am. But the whole truth is not being told. I worry everyday for those getting covid, and for those getting the vaccine. For one group to say their lives are more important, that the majority is more important, are not the ones who have watched their son or daughter in the prime of their life and career die of a vaccine they may have been forced to take. And no one, not the government, the pharmaceutical companies, the hospitals or employers, nobody is responsible for their deaths, or any health problems from mandated vaccines. Don’t you dare say I don’t care. I care about everyone, including you, and worry about what’s going on in the world right now.

 

Unvaxed AND Unemployed

I made the personal choice not to get vaccinated. I will lose my job against my choice. And many of you say, ‘’They deserve to be fired. ’ but, ‘Oh I don’t mean you personally.’  But you do mean me.. I’m the unvaxed, the new undocumented. You will blame us when there is no customer service and the economy sufferers when all who didn’t conform are fired. Do you realize you will soon be forced to vaccinate your own children with anything they mandate, and then you will pay attention to the unreported deaths from the vaccine, but it will be too late. You will fear as they put the needle in their little arm that they may be the one who has a bad reaction. You don’t know. But it’s too late. You gave the government control of your medical decisions. And that makes me sad and concerned for us all. I don’t hate you, but you despise me. Yes, you do, if you despise the whole group of ‘unvaccinated’ then you despise me too.    

                                                                                     

Unvaxed AND Unfriended

Anything questioning the vaccine is censored. That scares me more than the virus. I see posts from friends who say people like me shouldn’t be able to go to the hospital because we chose not to be vaccinated. I see posts where we should be locked up or permanently quarantined. I can handle the government taking me away. What worries me most is that people who know me and love me may cheer as they do it. You say :No, I’d never do that!’ but you are saying it about the whole group. That means me. I know my words may get me unfriended by some, because the fear and the conformity has become more important than our relationships. Don’t let them do that to us. We are family and friends, with different opinions,                  and we are all scared of what may happen. We need each other. We need to believe in each other, and trust God has a plan in all this. I love you all, vaxed or unvaxed, or unsure. Even if you unfriend me.

I wrote this 4 years ago, but it was a good reminder to me about what is important. I didn’t edit it or put in paragraphs, I just copied it as is from Facebook:

We all need to look at the world through the eyes of a child, not just so that we can catch the wonder and excitement in the everyday, but to remember that everything they experience leaves a lasting impression. Looking at the big boxes of unorganized Christmas decorations does not instill the same joy and thrills in me as it does in my 6 year old grandson. He's digging through and saying, "Look at this!" "I remember that!" "Grandma, I love Christmas!" Because of his excitement, and because I know I'm creating his memories, I am willing to go through the motions and eventually catch the spirit myself. Watching his 1 year old brother's eyes light up with the plugging in of the colored lights reminds me that we are responsible to instill joy and tradition into the next generation. We don't ever get to say I'm too old, I’ve put up enough trees in my life time, i don't want to bother this year. One way or other we are going to pass on what the holidays will mean to our children and grandchildren. We can pass on stress and impatience over the holidays, or self-sacrifice and love for family. So, I am happy to say my house is now littered with decorations, sparkly garland shreds all over the rug and Christmas lights that only half the string lights up. My 20 year old Christmas tree has seen better days, but my daughter filled it with uneven, mismatched lights and it's ready for the boys to hang years of collected ornaments onto. (One ornament has already been dropped, shattered and vacuumed up!). Charlie brown has nothing on us! Soon the unused decorations and mess will be cleaned up, the floor will be vacuumed, and colored lights will flicker inside and out of my house, inviting friends and family to join in our Christmas Spirit. Glass Santas and nativity figurines will fear for their lives every time the boys come near, or the cat walks through them and decides to nap on top of baby Jesus, or when the dog's tail wags dangerously close. Some will live to be packed away to see another year, some will go into the box of things that need superglued but we all know never will be, and some will get swept up in the dustpan, having given their all to carrying on the family traditions. And I will be so happy I had a six year old jumping around this last week of November asking when we were going to put up Christmas decorations. I want him to remember Christmas as a peaceful, joyful family time and I want his little brother's first big boy Christmas to be kid friendly and filled with pretty lights and wonder. And most importantly, that they will always know that Jesus is the reason for the season.

100 Reasons to Keep Making New Year's Resolutions!

We’ve all made New Year’s Resolutions. Many of us make one every year; maybe even the same one over and over! Mine was always to lose weight. Some years I would succeed for a while, but gain it all back. Some years I would start, but give up within the first few days. Some years I didn’t even bother making the resolution in the first place because I knew I wouldn’t follow through. New Year’s Resolutions became just another thing to fail at. But you can’t fail if you don’t make one, right?

Last year I had no plans of making a resolution. But the ladies in my office wanted to start diets on January 1^st, so I decided I would go ahead and join them. I had no belief I would succeed. I was still in survival mode from my life turning upside down three years before. I’d already tried a few times to lose the weight I’d gained as my coping mechanism during that rough patch. I just didn’t believe I could do it, or even deserved to do it. So making my resolution with the ladies was halfhearted at best.

I somehow made it through the first month successfully. My daughter’s wedding was coming up at the end of March, so I decided to lose some more weight for that. I actually started to believe I could do it. And I did. I lost about 45 pounds and felt much better about myself.  It felt good to see family and friends at the wedding instead of being embarrassed to have them see me. But, when it was all over, I didn’t feel that same hope inside that it was worth continuing anymore; or that I was worth it. Circumstances still seemed bigger.

I gained back about 15 pounds, but then in June, decided to try again. I lost the 15 pounds plus a few more. By the time I set out on a three week motorcycle trip I was about 55 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of the year. I would never have even gotten on the thing if I hadn’t lost the weight first. Throughout the trip, I ate healthy and lost a few more pounds. Eating right was becoming a lifestyle change instead of a diet for the first time in my life. I am still eating that way and feel like I’m choosing to do it rather than feeling deprived.

I have now officially lost 100 pounds in 2016, all because of a New Year’s Resolution I didn’t even believe in! I don’t write this to say, ‘Hey, look what I did!’ I write it to say, ‘Hey, look what we can do!!’ Even if we have tried a million times to lose weight, quit smoking, quit drinking, follow a budget, write that novel, train for a 5K, or whatever is important to us, this might just be the right time to try again.

I would much rather everyone forget I ever weighed that much than to admit I lost 100 pounds, but I also want to be an encouragement to others to never give up. If we wait until we feel like it, or until our lives improve, we will never start. Or, if we let discouragement or circumstances have first place on our resolution journey, we will never finish.

My circumstances hadn’t changed any on that first day. There were many times along the way I didn’t feel hopeful about the future, so it was hard to push through. But my heart was grateful, and I realized staying overweight and self-medicating with ice cream wouldn’t change anything for the better, it would just make me feel worse about myself. Time continues to tick by whether life is where we want it to be or not. Even if my situation wasn't going to change over the next few months, I decided that I could change.

I believe God has a plan and better things are in store for us if we don’t give up. But if we wait for the good things to happen before we start our resolutions, when they do finally turn around, we will still be in our bondage. I decided I wanted to be emotionally and physically ready for whatever happened next in my life. Like jumping on a Harley and riding across the country!

In October I got offered a job that I really wanted. By then I was down 80 pounds. I am not sure I would have presented myself as well, or felt that I could do it, if I hadn’t worked hard to better myself before the opportunity presented itself.  

There are still things in life that I worry about. Difficult circumstances still surround me. Along with losing the weight, I lost my house this year. But I continue to choose to eat healthy and not let myself fall back into that hole that will probably always beckon me. I choose to stay grateful and believe everything happens for a reason.

I have now lost 20 more pounds since starting my new job. I may or may not lose more. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I actually completed my New Year’s Resolution! Whatever comes, good or bad, I know I will handle it better because perseverance has made me stronger.

Don’t let things, or worries, or other people stop you from taking that first step. Then the second. Then the third. And if you fall back a step or two, give yourself a break and start over. Don’t let that self-talk tell you that you failed again. You never fail as long as you don’t give up! You can do it!

So, please, keep making resolutions. I am celebrating 100 reasons why it is worth giving it another try! I haven’t decided what my resolution for next year is yet. Maybe I will train to run that 5K! Or skydive! Or write novel number 3!!!

Let’s all make our New Year’s Resolution for 2017, close our eyes, and take that first leap together! As long as there is even a little bit of hope, it can’t be hopeless!!

YA, BUT YOUR CANDIDATE IS WORSE THAN MINE!

Yes, I care about the presidential election. Yes, I support one of the candidates. I do have strong opinions. I do have deep convictions. However, so do my friends and family who support the other candidate.

Elections always have a way of polarizing the population. If I thought the elections in the last decade were brutal, they are nothing compared to what is happening now. The stakes are higher. It is no longer about just surviving the next four years if your candidate doesn't win. People are scared. I know I am scared to death about what will happen if 'the other' candidate wins.

It's easy to fall into an 'us' and 'them' frame of mind. I read Facebook posts by my friends and acquaintances all the time. I watch snippets of news clips, though I refuse to let this election eat up my whole life!

Instead of ignoring or sneering at posts I didn't agree with, I decided to take a little time to read comments supporting 'the other side', and to actually listen to what some people on the news were saying. (Not the commentators! Real people!) Do you want to know what I discovered?

The people who support the other candidate are just as passionate about their beliefs as the people who support my candidate. Everyone wants a better future, a great America, a good life for their children. Our views may be different, but that shouldn't make us enemies.

We all have close friends and family who see this election differently than we do. Sadly, in some cases, the dividing line is so deep the relationships are strained beyond repair. I can't believe the vicious comments on Facebook. Someone posts an opinion and someone else replies against it and a battle ensues. I don't always know the people arguing in the comment sections, but I can tell that they have some sort of relationship with each other. They are at least 'Friends'. But they are so angry and hurtful, and basically ask how the person they used to care about can be so stupid. And then, people who don't even know them at all jump in with their opinions.

Reading the comments, and hearing what is said on TV and in conversations around me, it is easy to see that no one is going to change anyone else's mind this way. No one is taking into consideration the other person's reasons for how they believe, and everyone is putting up such big walls that they aren't even open to hearing the other view point.

Why? Because sticks and stones never have created a safe environment for conversation! They do hurt, and they do create defense mechanisms that filter out any sense of reasoning. White flags, a temporary truce, and a meeting in the middle of both camps is the only possibility of having any kind of fair discussion.

When I started reading comments and really listening to the 'other side', wanting to understand why they believed the way they did, I realized that we really aren't all that different. We all want the same basic things, just in different ways.

One of the things I heard most was, “Ya, but your candidate is worse than mine!” And the rock throwing went back in forth. Why are we fighting each other over candidates whose best attribute is that they are at least better than the other candidate? It's a sad reason to vote for someone, and an even sadder reason to ruin a relationship over!!

When this election is over, someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. Half the country is going to be ecstatic and half the country is going to be upset. But more than just upset, they are going to be scared about what will happen next in this country.

The thing is, WE THE PEOPLE are America. Not Hillary, not Donald, not Democrats, not Republicans, but WE! What are WE going to do to live together in some kind of understanding and respect of each other? What are WE going to do to ease the fears of half the population when this election is over?The media are the ones dividing us, making us believe it is 'us' verses 'them'. And WE are letting them!

I for one refuse to quit loving someone because of this election. I for one refuse to say 'them' when referring to those voting differently than me. I for one refuse to think someone else is stupid because of their party status. They may still feel that way about me, and I can't change that. But, I can choose to smile, use kind words, and respect their opinion. I can also chose to change the subject to something that makes us laugh and remember what binds us instead of what divides us!! Like puppies. I love puppies!!  

Oh, no, now the cat people are after me!!!!

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #15 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY!

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #15 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY – NOT MY HARLEY, NOT MY BUTT HURT!

I'm at an age now where I realize how much time and energy I have put into making others happy above myself, or waiting for someone else to make me happy. It is my responsibility to be kind, loving, honest, dependable, etc, but it is not my responsibility to make sure everyone else is happy. Nor is it theirs to make me happy. We have to choose that for ourselves. I have too often confused self care with selfishness, and that just isn't true. If I don't take care of myself, no one else will. Having empathy does not mean you have to jump into someone else's drama pool. It means you show your love and support from a safe ledge and throw them a rope. If you jump in to save them then you both are stuck!! And, to be honest, some people don't really want out of the pool! You can't be responsible for everything and everybody! In fact, you can actually be doing others a disservice if you take over their responsibility. You will never be able to 'Let Go and Just Ride' in your own life if you continue to chain yourself to other people's problems. Again, this doesn't mean we don't care, or we don't want to be involved, it just means we need to do it from a healthy perspective. Sometimes we just need to look in the mirror and say to ourselves, “NOT MY HARLEY, NOT MY BUTT HURT!”, and remember we are more help to the people we love if we are taking care of ourselves! This is a life lesson I may never master, but I hope to get better at!

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #14 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY!

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #14 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY – IN THE END YOU STILL HAVE TO GO BACK TO REAL LIFE!

If you stay in the fantasy for too long, it becomes reality. And any reality will always have it's own challenges. So, go home! Just make sure you bring that sense of adventure back with you. If you really aren't happy about returning home, maybe it's time to make some changes. But, don't go looking for greener pastures somewhere else before first trying to get the right fertilizer for your own yard!!! Chances are, if you are unhappy there, you will eventually be unhappy somewhere else anyway! (Even if it is on the back of a Harley!) Home (including work, friends church, whatever) should be the place where we feel safe, loved, fulfilled, needed, appreciated. But if that is not what you are riding back to, it's time to ask yourself what needs to change. Remember, we can only change ourselves, we can't change someone else. If things aren't the way we want them to be, what can we do to make them better? If our happiness depends on someone or something else meeting our expectations, we've given away our own control. It won't be any different if we move onto greener pastures! We will just be sticking our same stinky feet into the new yard and will soon have brown grass like we had before!! If, after careful evaluation, and making personal changes where needed, we decide it's time to move on (from a relationship, a neighborhood, a job, etc.),we should do so without feeling guilty. Just keep in mind,moving on doesn't change us unless we've changed first! It's still our own face we will see in the mirror! But, hopefully, like Dorothy, we will discover that there really is no place like home!

(It would be even better with a Cracker Barrel rocker!!!)

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #13 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY!

TANYA'S LIFE LESSON #13 LEARNED ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY – CHECK OUT THE VIEW FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE; MOUNTAINS FOR INSTANCE!

I don't know why I never paid attention to the fact that you can see the Cascade Mountain peaks from the east side of the state. I guess I thought they just belonged to those of us living on the west side! I grew up with three important mountains in my life; St. Helens, Rainier, and Adams. I see Mt. Hood occasionally when I go south, but in my mind it belongs to Oregon. I've only seen Mt. Baker a couple of times, so I have no emotional attachment there. Since I am from Toutle, to me St. Helens is 'THE' mountain. My husband learned early on not to say 'Hey, look at the mountain' referring to Mt. Rainier because I would correct him by saying, 'That's Mt. Rainier. St. Helens is THE mountain!' From Cowlitz and Lewis Counties you can easily see St. Helens on your right and Rainier on your left, but even from the best vantage point you have to look a bit harder to see the top of Mt. Adams. But as we rode through the Yakima Valley coming home from our long trip, I realized the big mountain looming near us was Adams. Even though I have great childhood memories of family outings to Mt. Adams, it is still a small, elusive mountain in my life. But it's a big mountain to those living in Yakima. And even though THE mountain (St. Helens) is the most significant to me, I didn't even know where to look for it from there. We all need to stop and remember that everyone sees the same mountains we do, we just see them differently. For example, Mt. Rainier is a towering beautiful monument in most of the Northwest, but for me growing up it was the funny mountain with two humps that looked like boobs! So, before we pass judgment on someone else's opinions, (yes even religious or political!), we should at least check out the view from their perspective! It doesn't mean we have to change ours, but it might give us some understanding as to why they see it the way they do. Like I said, we all see the same mountains, we just see them differently!