You Should Get a Flu Shot

When I was in my twenties I usually skipped getting a flu shot. I was young and healthy, and getting the flu, while deeply unpleasant, was probably not life-threatening.

And that’s as far as I thought about it.

I’m older now. Getting the flu is still probably not life-threatening for me — but I almost lost a family member to flu a couple years ago. And another member of my family, who I see a couple times a month at a minimum, has a compromised immune system — if he gets the flu, it could be very bad.

Just remember, as you go about your day — on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, at a restaurant — you’re going to run across people, without even knowing it, who can’t get the flu without serious consequences. You’ll certainly run across people who are close to those people. People like me.

In other words, your getting a flu shot could save a life. For real.