Oh My God! COVID-19 is no joke, folks.
COVID-19 moved through four of my five family members, including me, in the last month at a rapid pace. From my oldest son, to my husband, to my youngest son and then to me after I played short order cook and butler to my crew of three quarantined men. I got hit with the most severe symptoms including fever, chills and a migraine headache that wouldn’t quit. It was bad. I don’t wish it on anyone.
In the fog of being sick, I had zero s#&@s to give. I had feverish delusions of living in the future only to have to back up to live in the present (symbolic lesson? Hmmm). I had no ability or motivation to keep up with work. I knew I had a new person coming in to help my almost 85-year-old mom, and I could surrender to her starting without my guidance or input. My husband was doing an amazing job keeping everyone in the house fed (all were out of quarantine but me by this time).
And then, I turned the corner. I started feeling better. I was not “back,” but with three symptom-free days and quarantine officially over, I emerged from my sick room.
Oh MY GOD.
Life stood still. Nothing had moved. The packages that were supposed to go out were still in the same spot. Coats were left where they were two weeks ago. My plants were dead. The kitchen floor was littered with two weeks’ worth of crumbs. The kitchen tablecloth was stained, and my tulips from Passover/Easter week were naked stems in a pot. It was surreal. I felt like I was walking through two weeks in slow motion.
I had felt very well taken care of during quarantine – receiving food, drink and symptom-checks in the comfort of my bed, and I didn’t really care what was going on outside my door. Everything seemed in order. Little did I know that chaos was the true state of things. Nobody cared, and I only cared when I had to see it. Is it chaos if it doesn’t adversely affect anyone?
It does not gratify me in the least to see that my presence makes a difference to the flow and efficiency of my home. It’s long been a pain point for me that my family is not naturally fastidious when it comes to keeping a neat and orderly home. It’s a battle I’ve fought. It eventually became a battle I was just not willing to take on over and over again.
These two COVID-19 weeks showed me where my business needs reinforcement in case I ever drop out like this again, and on the home front, I was once again shown that I have a higher need for order than the rest of my family. What’s changed is that re-entering the world after two weeks made me see it’s not personal. It is SO not personal. I see that more clearly now, and it will help me be less reactive in the future. I’ve always taken it personally. COVID-19, and its no S#*@s to give, was a great teacher. (I’m not looking forward to vaccine #2. I’d like no more teaching!)
Wow Laura,
What an ordeal….So happy you made it through OK !
And yes, what a good learning…for all of us…but tough one.
Oh dear. Glad you are on the mend. You will feel so much more comfortable going out once you get the second shot. Take it easy. J.
Holy S#*@! I’m glad you got through it. I can relate. When I broke my leg ten years ago, I had to live in the basement for two weeks (bedroom, living room, bathroom on one floor) because I wasn’t allowed to do any stairs at all.
When my friends came to see me, they tried to warn me about what the main floor/kitchen looked like in my absence. They wrung their hands in anxiety wanting to intervene but afraid to insult my husband, who was holding down the fort. I thought, “How bad could it be?” LOL. Bad.
I’m sorry you were the last person in your family to get to experience “Zero S#*@s Given”. Obviously, they beat you to it with attitudes toward order and cleanliness.
It is a relief to know that you’ve all survived COVID. Hugs to the Fortgang Gang.
Glad you are on the mend and thank you for sharing this story !
Laura so glad to hear of your recovery. Thank you for sharing the wonderful love and support you received from your family.
Sharing your feelings and thoughts was healing energy for me during these challenging times with Covid 19.
Thank you 🙏🏼
Oh my goodness. I was following your not give. S$&*% and re-entry like a movie. Yikes- so many shifts in perspective. what a lesson. And glad you are OK. What this from the first vaccine, or pre-vaccine??
I love your ah ha after leaving the confines of your sequestered bedroom—taking in the disorder of your home and realizing it’s not personal. Good insight for those of us who represent the more fastidious in our households! Glad you’re better.
I’m sorry that you went through this after getting your first vaccine. Were they aware that there was active COVID in your residence?
You are not the only one that I have heard tested negative when they were actually positive.
YES, chaos is a severe teacher. I’ve repeated the course MANY times over the last 13 years. Kind of like John Housman in The Paper Chase and Umbridge became headmasters at a College of Education.
Do reach out if you need any help.
Julie, I had my 1st vaccine and within two hours, I was going down. It turns out I was asymptomatic positive when I got the vaccine, so I was not having a reaction but rather, it blew up my symptoms. In bed for two weeks and this, the third week is not yet back to full throttle. Stay safe.
Good to know, Cheryle. Hang in there.
We are on the other side. Thank goodness! I remember when you broke your leg! Yeah, it’s shocking what the family can overlook!
Thanks, Val
I’m not looking forward to the possible reaction to the 2nd shot. Re-living those symptoms is not appealing!
I still wish it were diffferent but not taking it personally, is a revelation!
Resilience , a powerful trait we all have. Happy you are on the mend…
Dear All My very elderly mother fell and broke her hip at end of February and was rushed in for a hip operation – she survived that. Two weeks after the op she was still recovering in hospital and contracted Covid IN the hospital. If she had not had her first vaccine in January I am convinced that she would not have pulled through Covid.
She is now on the mend from the hip op and Covid – grasp the chance for that vaccine!
Oh my gosh, Melanie! I know firsthand how stressful it is to be the caretaker for a parent. I’m glad your mom is recovering. The vaccine is keeping people alive, if not COVID free. Thanks for sharing.
The word for the dead plants is apocalypse looking maybe? Zombies around the corner? Your description made me laugh.
More seriously though I am glad you are over the hump! Stay safe and well with that 2nd vaccine. I’ve heard varying reports, particularly from people who had a bout of COVID before the vaccine. Send for reinforcements and take care of YOU.