In the last two weeks in Austria we fell suddenly into autumn. Late summer was amazing and it almost feels like we’ve skipped autumn and gone straight to winter. Morning temperatures are very fresh and there’s snow on the nearby mountains. I had quite a bit of time off over the summer which was fantastic and now it’s time to knuckle down again – put the garden to bed, crank up the heater, get out the boots and coats and so on.
And while it feels a bit meh to do all this, it also feels completely normal… like a normal year. And it occurs to me that I’ve kind of forgotten about Covid. I got my second jab at the end of June, so it’s been months since I had to worry about getting tests or feeling any real threat. I’ve been across the borders on holidays a number of times, amongst other people, and while being careful, that feeling of not being allowed to do something is sort of gone.
I kind of feel like life is quite normal. And the question is, what now? Well… now we continue on. We go out for Friday night dinners indoors and we don’t worry about Covid. We accept that at some point it may hit us, like any other mild winter illness.
I’m lucky enough to live in a country that rolled out the vaccine relatively quickly. I made my choice and got vaccinated. And I know the argument. I know that because I am now vaccinated and not getting tested regularly, I can still carry the virus and inadvertently give it to other people who are unvaccinated. And that feels like something I should worry about. But then again, at this point, the unvaccinated have made a conscious choice not to, so in some ways they are essentially accepting the risk.
Of course, I am still being careful. I still wear my mask and take all the same standard precautions I always have. But I am not going to worry about those who made a different choice than me. It doesn’t have to be on my conscience in the same way it was last year when we were all unvaccinated.
So bring on life. Ok, so I’m not off to a rave or anything that really involves a whole lot of people, but as everything cools down, and gets a little cosier and more comfortable, I’m going to just enjoy whatever normal we get.
an aussie in austria 