It’s Very Real

Politics, conspiracy theories, and hatred aside, I can tell you COVID is real. The Babe and I both have it and a couple family members have it too. Some of us had the vaccination, some didn’t. This is not a discussion about all of that.

What this is about is the whole other gambit of things; how does it feel physically, and emotionally? We know some people who lost their battles with this disease. My heart is aching for their surviving families now. The nurse who tested me at THINK last Tuesday was excellent. I mentioned not knowing where I caught this, and concern if I have passed it on. She said, “We don’t need to be about blame here. It can be from anywhere. It can go anywhere. She was a hundred percent correct. Many folks are about blame and causes. The Babe said, “It’s probably just a matter of time.” That could be true, too.

It seems I blamed my late allergy flare/asthma flare on the Cottonwood tree. It must have been COVID. The congestion, the coughing, the fatigue. Trouble is, it behaves like other chronic illnesses. Body aches? Yes, I’ve got them all the time. How are we supposed to know the difference? We’re not. That’s our doctor’s job. I feel pretty foolish, actually. Never thought I’d catch it. I’m grateful to God we had the immunizations. It could have been so much worse. The key is keeping your oxygen level up. Mine was under 90 until I consciously inhaled and exhaled to use the full extent of my lungs. It came up to 93 then. I was breathing more shallow simply because it kept me from coughing. Not a good thing to do, apparently.

The most bothersome part of this, at least for me, is the congestion, and the drainage that shifts into overdrive when lying down. It just doesn’t let up. No wonder the lungs become so compromised. What a horrible experience for those who can’t breathe. I’ve done my share of praying during the past week. The brain fog that goes with it is nothing new for me, either. I threw in the towel last week and said I took a few days off blogging to just take a break. Today, I thought I’d better at least try to do something normal, so here we are.

Today I’m not sure if I truly am better or if it’s still too close to call. Seriously. I can’t tell. I just don’t want to fall out of the habit of writing every day. That’s the driving factor. Are we afraid? A little. I wouldn’t say I’m sure we’re going to be fine and mean it, because we may not be. I can only have faith we will. I know I’m tired of this illness and all that goes with it. The media, the scares, the reality of learning it has you in its hold. Sobering thoughts.

I’ve struggled with sharing this information at all; sure, it’s deeply personal. Many will think I should have kept it to myself. I think in the grand scheme of things, being honest is what I’m about, and I think if nothing else, there could be some level of learning here. Honestly, we did not think we’d come down with COVID. We’ve been faithful to being careful; we’ve followed the rules to the letter. Sure, we’re as tired as everyone else of the masks, the news, the protocol. This pandemic is not going anywhere soon; it’s just a cold, hard fact in all our lives. We need to deal with this in our lives the best we can and let the world continue on.

Upon hearing the news of General Colin Powell passing away from COVID complications, I am devastated. I’m devastated when a regular person loses their life to this illness; as well as a well-known person, someone I deeply admire. I think Powell and Condoleezza Rice would have made a difference in America as President and Vice President. This terrible disease cares not who it takes or leaves behind. It makes all of us humble; it makes us all pray, and I pray we come out on the other side of it. I feel optimistic about our recovery; things are good so far. Of course, things can always go wrong; no one has a crystal ball.

I’

m still going to blog this week. I need to get some sense of normal back. I think we can place a pickup order for groceries and such. We’re sure we’re coming out on the right side of this. I’m going to still plan working on the novel. I’m short on concentrating much this week (again). That’s part of the charm of COVID and I hope it gets better. In the meantime, be positive as you can, and know it will all be ok. It has to be. See you tomorrow!