Page 2 - MidWeek - Sep 15 2021

2 MIDWEEK SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
TNeedles And Pits
he U.S. Food & Drug Administration has fully
“What’s all the com- motion?” I gasped, astonished to see such crowding at the board-
approved the use of Pfizer’s vaccine for people
Dai is on this flight.”
At age 15, on my first
encounter with Lin Dai. She had not found love, and in fact had taken her own life, but her words had grounded me in a sense of values that made all the difference.
age 16 and older, so maybe the “wait and see” crowd will now feel more reassured — or maybe not. But one thing that can’t be encouraging people who have vaccine hesitancy is the incessant, daily media us- age of footage showing people getting a syringe insert- ed into their upper arms. Every COVID-19 newscast story seems to unnecessarily show this drama unfold.
trip away from Hong Kong, I would be traveling with the most renowned actress in Asia. After we were air- borne, I could not repress the urge to go talk with her, and boldly headed for first class.
During a chance encounter on a flight from Hong Kong, the author spoke to famous actress Lin Dai, who shared that the greatest gift is that of love.
Married to a widower with five children — and shared values — I now cel- ebrate a life of challenges and deeply satisfying love and joy.
Most people don’t like injections, period, so to keep showing people getting poked, relatively painless though it might be, is probably not the best method to gently en- courage some fence sitters to show up at a nearby clinic or neighborhood mobile facility tomorrow. There must be oodles of relevant b-roll footage that could be utilized without redundantly showing yet another upper arm being pricked with a needle.
“Miss Lin, may I join you?” I asked.
Eighteen months ago, we were all hunkered down, afraid of our own (and others’) shadows as the seriousness of this pandemic played out. We somewhat rationalized 40 or so local coronavirus cases reported daily. Nowadays, you can’t find a parking space in some malls and people are everywhere, all while we’re witnessing 10-20 times as many cases of a far more potent and easily spread variant. While the vaccine has rightfully helped ease many minds about the odds for experiencing hospitalization or worse, so-called “long COVID” (symptoms persisting for months and/or developing after initial symptoms dissipate) is a frustrating reality for 10%-30% of all COVID sufferers, regardless of whether or not they had notable symptoms during their engagement with the coronavirus. That’s why wearing masks still makes a lot of sense in most cases. Big deal, it’s a mask. Long COVID complications can affect the heart, lungs, brain, stomach and appendages — and over 100 aftereffects of this ailment have been medically identified thus far. Is it so hard to be safe, smart, socially savvy, sensitive, steadfast and supportive?
“Miss Lin, with your beauty, success, fame and money, you must be the hap- piest person in the world.”
Her eyes now seemed to be looking past me, and I could barely hear the next words: “Appearance is de- ceptive. Beauty, success, fame and money cannot bring happiness if there is no love. There is nothing more valuable than to love
Years later, I met one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong, handsome and wealthy — but totally self-absorbed. When peo- ple wondered why I turned down the marriage propos- alof“amanwhohasev- erything,” I smiled, deeply grateful for that long-ago
The Flight That Grounded Me
“All that glitters is not gold.” — Shakespeare
ing gate.
“Don’t you know? Lin
Her momentary surprise was followed by a warm gesture of welcome. After some polite conversation, I broached what was really on my mind.
who goaded her incessantly to work harder to become rich, to bring prestige to her family. She felt used and unloved.
and be loved.” Her words held my heart long after we landed and she was whisked away.
May Rosanna Hsi is the author of “My Aha Moments: Sharing the Journey,” avail- able at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. For over 10 years, she has enjoyed giving mu- sic therapy for residents at Lē‘ahi Hospital.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
She looked at me intently. Then, she began her story of being an only daughter, of having an ambitious mother
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
KELLEY
with
May Rosanna Hsi
A year ago, we did everything we could (most peo- ple) to preclude facing this airborne invader. As time has passed, however, too many have gotten complacent and decided that they’re immune, impervious, or indifferent to this virus. But anyone can pass it along. It’s the pits. As the staggering numbers here indicate, we’re running out of oxygen, ICU beds and quarantine areas, but we are absolutely not outrunning this pandemic yet.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com