Sick

 

Call it the Vid. Rona Corona. The Covid.

So many names for it!

I finally got it.

It came on so gradually!

First a stuffy nose. Barely noticeable. Then a twinge of a sore throat. Not bothersome; just interesting. Like, “Huh! Wonder if I am getting something? Maybe a cold?” Then a few minor body aches. A slight headache. Took a Covid test. Came back negative.  But then a cough developed, and then a heavy fatigue settled in. The worst part was the fatigue.

Eventually?

That negative Covid test turned positive.

And that was how the week played out.

Day after day of not feeling like myself.

Day after day of not leaving the house.

Remember that movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray?

That was what my week was like.

Monday. Wake up. Look out the window. Feel sick. Day goes on. Feel a little better. Fill the birdfeeders. (Wow! That was tiring! Is it usually so tiring to fill the birdfeeders?) Sit back on the couch. Watch Netflix. Watch more Netflix. Think about walking up to the post office. Why does the post office seem like it is a mile away? Feel not so good again. Cancel all the work I had scheduled for the next day. Reschedule Tuesday massages for Thursday (because maybe it is a mild case and I will test negative by then?) Wednesday arrives and cancel everything again.  Same for Thursday.  Friday arrives and cancel everything for Saturday.

Still sick.

Drink water. Take Advil. Sit on the couch. Watch more Netflix.

Eat noodles. And potatoes. Also chocolate.

Noodles are my new favorite thing.

Still sick.

I watched at least eight Netflix movies this week, including a few teen romantic comedies that ended up with not one but two sequels to them. Lucky for me, years passed between the release of the first movies in the series and the final ones, so I was able to watch all of them together in a marathon format. I didn’t have to wait even a minute to see if the teen protagonists would end up with their true loves! The Netflix algorithms automatically started the next movie right after the first one finished. Confession: I enjoyed these movies. You can add “To All the Boys I’ve Loved” to your watch list. It got great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, too, so that makes me feel less embarrassed about the whole thing. Also I might have enjoyed the “Kissing Booth” movies, but I wouldn’t swear to it.

I am vaccinated against the Covid. Boosted. Boosted again. Also got a flu shot. The experts would call this a mild case of  Covid, because I never had trouble breathing and didn’t have to be hospitalized. Still felt like crap.

There was a good lesson for me this week, though.

I heard a sermon once on “Love your neighbor as yourself” and the pastor said that we all know how to love ourselves, so it’s the neighbor part that we need to devote ourselves to.

But you know what I’ve been thinking lately?

Maybe the best way (only way?) to love others is to first love ourselves.

This has been a week for putting myself first; I didn’t have any choice. It wasn’t easy, having to cancel all those massages. Especially to a group that I had promised chair massages to this weekend.  I have been at the Center for more than ten years and I have never had to cancel on a group before.

My job is one where I care for others.

This week I had no choice but to take care of me.

And nobody got mad at me or upset. All my clients understood and wished me well and said that they hoped I would feel better soon.

Tonight, on Saturday evening, as I write this, I am feeling better. Turned a corner. Negative Covid test this morning! Still ate noodles today, and a potato, but salad is starting to seem appetizing again. Cough, sore throat, massive fatigue: all gone. When I am sick, I remember longingly all the days when I have not been sick. And it seems like I will never get back there again. Tonight, I am feeling mostly confident that my week of Groundhog Days has ended. Glad I took the time to rest. I think that was the most important part of my recovery. So happy to be on the other side. Grateful. Very, very grateful.