Earlier this week I was bamboozled by a relative who texted me to tell me that it “sucked that she could lose her job” because her company was mandating vaccinations and she is refusing to get vaccinated.

Considering this relative tends to be one of those “extreme” people (i.e., the ones who believe you get microchipped when vaccinated, that you’re going to grow three heads, that you’re going to be controlled by Bill Gates, etc.), I was tempted to leave well enough alone and not say anything. Instead I did the opposite, which really angered my relative.

I actually started out on her side by saying how I don’t agree with the mandates (which I don’t). I don’t feel anyone should be forced to get vaccinated in order to work somewhere or attend some event. I feel it is their choice. On the other hand, in life there are rules and it is the company’s choice to have a policy of mandates, or any other policy, especially if it’s a policy meant to protect people. It is your choice if you decide to follow the policy or work elsewhere. And that’s pretty much what I told my relative. Which she didn’t like.

I told her if it were me who was in her situation and I needed a job, I would certainly go and get vaccinated. She didn’t like that very much. At this point I really didn’t know what else to say. Did she just want to argue with me about the vaccine and how her company was forcing her to get vaccinated? What did she want me to do about it? There is nothing I, anyone else or the lamppost can do about it. It’s all up to her.

She rambled on about her constitutional rights, etc., etc. I told her it is her constitutional right to choose to not get vaccinated. And it’s also her company’s constitutional right to issue a policy stating that if you aren’t, you can’t work there.

I reminded her that, considering she is in very poor health, it would only be wise to get vaccinated. I told her that she should want to get vaccinated. I asked her if she would balk at her company asking her to comply with a drug test.

She rambled on telling me if she lost her job she’d lose her house. And I told her “then you know what you need to do”.

Every time I told my relative something she became more and more angry with me. It was as if she wanted me to do something about her situation. What would I be able to do about it? I don’t control her company’s policies.

In the end I told her, “Look, if it’s any consolation to you, the vaccine lasts for about six months, if that. Get the shot and in six months you won’t even have any of it in you anymore. Then you don’t have to worry about it.” She didn’t even like that.

Then she threw the “Let’s Go Brandon” thing at me and asked me if I knew what it meant. I told her yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that your company still wants you vaccinated to work there. But while you’re rambling on like the eccentric idiot that you are, why not throw politics into the measure?

In the end I stopped replying to her texts. She’s a big girl and she’ll figure it out. It’s very simple. She’ll either comply and continue working at the place where she hates to work or she won’t comply and maybe understand in hindsight it’s an opportunity to move on. Money aside, because that’s really what it comes down to for her (she will be hard-pressed to find a job making the kind of money she is at this shit job that she has despised for the past twenty years), maybe she’ll cut her losses and find something that makes her happier. She may still have to get vaccinated, but let her find that out.

The President of the United States is stating that the best protection against Omicron is simple: Get fully vaccinated. Get a booster shot.

That may be one form of protection for some against any of the coronavirus strains. Unfortunately, there are still many individuals who cannot physically receive the vaccination because it will actually harm or even kill them. This is a fact.

In reality you want to know what the BEST kind of protection is? Even better than getting vaccinated or a booster shot? Because those are only going to last for so long. And we all know it.

The best kind of protection is to (1) stay home as much as possible and (2) if you must go out, wear a mask.

Those two strategies are lasting forms of protection. Longer lasting than a vaccination that nobody knows the endurance of. Your best bet? Get vaccinated if you can, stay home as much as possible and when you go out, wear a mask.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make one realize what they have to be grateful for. This year has been one of those years that makes me more grateful than usual.

With Thanksgiving approaching, I’ve been thinking about the people in my life and what they mean to me and my life in general: where I’ve been, what I’m doing and where I’m going.

The most mysterious thing about life is that nobody knows how long it will last. As the old saying goes: “live life to its fullest”. I’ve tried to do that the best way I can.

I’m grateful for what I have. Not just personal possessions, but the people in my life, the love that we have and the health that I have. There is nothing more to be grateful for than that.

Why is it this time of year people always question themselves on when they should begin to decorate for the holidays?

“I want to put my Christmas tree up. But is it too early?”

I didn’t know there was a law that said you couldn’t put it up before a certain time. Shit, who says you couldn’t keep it up all year? Why question it?

“We shouldn’t put the Christmas lights up until after Halloween.”

Why? Because the colder it gets the more fun it is to freeze while stringing lights on your gutters? Shit, put them up in July. Better yet, just keep them up all year.

“I really shouldn’t start my Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving.”

Yeah, so you can get the scraps. The best stuff is on the shelves long before Labor Day. Better yet, shop all year round. It will help you finish faster. Chances are you’ll be done before Thanksgiving.

“Is it too early to listen to Christmas music? Too early for Christmas movies?”

Dumbest questions ever. It’s NEVER too early! Shit, I listen and watch all year long! I know the stations that play music all year long. And you always have CDs and DVDs. I have a tradition of watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Independence Day. It’s never too early for George Bailey or Clarence.

When it comes to the holidays, don’t pay attention to the ones who bitch and moan when the stores are decorating after Halloween. They’re the ones who wouldn’t want to see anything Christmas until December 24th. And even then it would be too soon.

If putting up the tree in July and listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies year round makes you happy, then do it! Wear that funky Christmas T-shirt on Memorial Day if it makes you happy.

That’s what matters most.