DOWN AMIDST THE VIRUS

My body has gone viral. Last weekend Covid arrived like the badass it is, and has been making my life miserable. Like much of the world, I no longer felt threatened by the three-year-old menace … after all I was vaccinated and booster-ed up the wazoo. But apparently, it is not a good idea to be lax with the masks and hand sanitizer.

So it is my own fault the dread virus took the opportunity to walk in uninvited. I mean, all I did was make a quick stop at Marshalls. After all I had a few minutes before I had to be somewhere, and there it was on my way. So, I went in and poked about, as one does, and found a new long-sleeved tee shirt in a color I had been looking for … like forever. And it was the right size! Who knew it would come with a week’s worth of headaches, congestion, aches, and pains? My good neighbor picked up a prescription for Paxlovid, but the nausea and side effects proved to be worst than the disease, so I had to stop taking it. Instead, I hunkered down and waited it out.

Now after a week of the nasties, I am relieved to have gotten past the worst of it. I went through an entire box of chamomile tea, two boxes of Puffs, three lemons (to go with the honey and hot water), and half a bag of Halls cough drops despite their rather foul taste. For a week now, my life has been dribbling away in cups full of liquid. I drank my vegetables (V-8), and protein (bullion), teas both herbal and caffeinated, as well as cocoa, and coffee. Eventually I ran out of mugs to warm up my watery diet. And after a few days the watermelon, grapes, and peaches felt really good going down my swollen throat, and with some Gouda and goat cheese to go with, I can’t say I suffered too much.

My mother always used to say the trick was learning how to enjoy ill health, and I have practiced her technique for years. However, that was not an option this time around. So be warned … Don’t mess around with this stuff. Stay safe.