Traffic wasn’t the story.

On March 5, I volunteered at the Summit COVID-19 pod. It was the one-year anniversary of the first case in Colorado. There were flowers in memory of the over 500,000 who have died in the U.S. of COVID-19. There were also balloons to celebrate that only one year later, vaccines were being given. Lives were being saved. Doctors and nurses were volunteering to administer vaccines. Community volunteers were filling out paperwork, directing traffic and more. County workers were making it all possible: leading, organizing, directing, supporting. Many of those being vaccinated were doing happy dances in their seats or fist pumping as they pulled out of the barns, vaccinated.

Remember the pictures and scenes in movies of the metal and rubber drives during WWII? The sense of community coming together for the common good? That’s what this experience reminded me of. Our community, led by the health department, came together to do what is best for the community at large, to make each other safe. We’ve been missing that sense of togetherness this last year. Missing our families, friends, concerts, restaurants — the list goes on.

Volunteering at the pod was the best day I’ve had all year. This incredible community has come together, listened to science and done what is needed in order to keep us all safe. Now they’re doing what needs to be done to get us all back together. My day volunteering filled me up, gave me hope and made me so incredibly proud to be a part of this community. Proud to live in a county that has such fine leadership and residents who believe science and understand that sometimes sacrifice is necessary. And “normal” will be that much sweeter for it.

Traffic was not the story.