Of Flu and The Cuckoo’s Nest

Convivium, 17 November 2017

What does Shoppers Drug Mart have to teach us about the juxtaposition between self sacrifice and self indulgence?

Those familiar with my dietary and exercise habits know that preventative health care is not a high priority. An exception, though, is an annual rite of late autumn, the flu shot.

It’s likely quicker to get the deed done on a routine visit to the doctor, but I opt for Shoppers Drug Mart, as they give you a handy printed card that certifies that the shot has indeed been shot.

For a priest called to visit the sick in hospital or a nursing home, it is handy to have evidence on hand if, as sometimes happens, the wards are closed to those who have not been inoculated.

The wait at Shoppers is about 10 minutes, and then you are required to remain in the store for an additional 15 minutes to ensure no immediate adverse reaction has taken hold. So my half hour in Shoppers every November is likely the longest time I ever spend there, which means I notice things I might not otherwise. This time it was the sexual revolution. I had noticed that elsewhere; it was in Shoppers that I noticed it anew.

Read more at Convivium:
https://www.convivium.ca/articles/of-flu-and-the-cuckoo%E2%80%99s-nest