COVID, not completely gone and forgotten
Being sick can make me rather mopey. It's similar to being on our menstrual cycle. Your body just doesn't feel right, and you feel like crying for no reason. Or maybe it's the fact that you're exhausted because your white blood cells are in a massive battle with invaders, like a scene from Last Kingdom, with your favorite characters smeared in blood and screaming in slow motion.
Yes, I got COVID, which to anyone who has been near me for the past four years knows is ironic. I am the queen of COVID caution. I am the princess of prevention. I have a reputation as a masknag. I have given so many COVID lectures to members of my international programs over the years that someone should nominate me for a TED talk.
I'm fairly certain that a few of those participants had headaches from rolling their eyes too many times.
And how did I get COVID? I let down my guard.
A friend recently returned from travel and I noticed the friend looked a little tired. I thought nothing of sharing a meal and talking and talking about their trip. Then the friend got COVID and so did I, four days later.
Luckily, I was able to steer clear of the international teachers who are under my care. (No one from the program tested positive when we had a group testing).
Being sick was strange. I have kept well all this time and still heebie-jeebies found me when I was not quite as vigilant.
I felt sorry for myself and mad at myself. I talked out loud to the Handsome Woodsman, who died in a car accident in 2016. I was mad that he wasn't there to check on
me every few hours.
I am loved. I know that. And if I'm not certain,
I can look in my fridge where I still have containers of an overabundance of soup dropped on my doorstep. But still, I felt sorry for myself.
COVID today
I'll share a little practical information, just to be useful to anyone who has a friend arriving from recent travel and forgets to wear a mask when hearing their travel stories. After countless vaccines and booster shots, having COVID was similar to having a cold, not even a bad cold, just a cold. It started with a slight scratchy throat (and I wore a mask just to be overly cautious). The first two days of slight symptoms I tested negative on my home testing kits. The third day I tested positive.
I decided to take Paxlovid, because it was easy to do. I called my doctor and arranged a phone consultation. I don't know if everyone is eligible for a prescription, but they asked me my age and weight and I qualified. I was told you need to start taking the medication within five days of the first symptoms. I gave my Bossman my birthdate and he was able to pick it up at Costco for a $25 copay.
Feeling the love
As mentioned, we're in the middle of one of our international programs and the teachers from the group sent me numerous encouraging notes on our group text. Even with a fridge full of soup, working on my computer from home gave me flashbacks of that terrible summer of 2020.
Back then, I didn't allow myself to wallow in the fear and uncertainty that was just below the surface of my skin. I was too busy binging Netflix and sharing empathy with my friends on Facebook. This whole COVID thing brought up flashbacks to those first few months we all endured, and I was thankful that life is mostly back to normal.
However, Super Bowl Sunday was tough. I watched the commercials online and heard shouts in my neighborhood when something amazing must have been happening. My boss thought he was being helpful when he periodically sent me updated scores.
But the worst was Valentine's Day. Our international group attended an amazing party at Diana's house, and I even placed the phone order for seven extra large pizzas. The group sang and shared food. I scrolled through the thoughtful “happy Valentine's Day” GIFs sent to me on WhatsApp. It's a good thing I'm an optimist. Next year if I'm sick on Valentine's Day, maybe I'll have a boyfriend who will run out and buy me ice cream.