The Undeniable Power of “I Am”
I recently became eligible in my state to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine but getting an appointment wasn’t as easy as I expected.
I’ll admit, I was under the impression that my area had too many thawing vaccines and not enough arms to put them in, and I fully expected my phone call to the health department to be both seamless and welcoming. Instead, I was met with a small bit of resistance that taught me a powerful lesson. Here’s a paraphrased version of that conversation:
Vaccine Hotline Lady: Hi this is the county vaccine hotline.
Me: Hi! I heard through my church’s bishop that Clergy are now eligible for the vaccine? Is that true? I minister over the children in my congregation and he told me I could get an appointment. Am I eligible?
VHL: Um… All I know is the most recent group to open up is those with underlying health conditions. That opened today.
Me: Ok, I had heard the Clergy group opened last week. I was just wondering if that was true and if it is, I’d like to ask about an appointment.
VHL: I don’t know. Have you looked at the state requirements on the website?
Me: Yes, I did, I just —
VHL: Tell you what. Give me your email address so I can send you the eligibility requirements. If you think you’re eligible, call us back and we’ll get you an appointment.
I got off that phone call totally confused.
Why was she not answering my question? Why did she act like she didn’t know if Clergy was an eligible group? Isn’t it kind of — I don’t know — her JOB to know that? Why all this resistance? I thought they’d jump at the chance to have another willing vax recipient. Why did she push me off the phone so fast? Is this really worth it?
With some grumbling and eye-rolling, I checked my email and saw she had indeed sent the link. After looking over the eligibility information for what felt like the thousandth time, I decided to call back. The second conversation went much better:
New Vaccine Hotline Lady: Hi this is the vaccine hotline.
Me: Hi, I just got off the phone with [name of first VHL] and she told me I needed to double-check my eligibility. I’m calling to tell you I have confirmed…