Thursday, October 28, 2021

Counting blessings or else go mad

Today was one of those days that started out relatively smoothly but rapidly degraded. Since I haven’t posted anything here on the blog for awhile, the backstory is that Gordon and I are recovering from Covid, which we contracted back in September. It’s a long, sordid tale, but suffice it to say that this was not the “I was sick for a few days, it was basically a bad cold” kind that folks we knew got in late 2019 or early 2020. Gordon was flattened for a couple of weeks and I ended up in the hospital for a week. Now, a month later, neither one of us is 100%. Gordon’s energy is about 95%, and he’s back to work full time. My energy can get to around 90%, but any kind of activity knocks me back down pretty quick. I’m lucky if my blood oxygen reaches 93%, I’m fumble fingered, and, thanks to the hospital giving me Remdesivir (without consent) instead of monoclonal antibodies, I’m losing my hair. People like me, with major lingering symptoms, are being labeled Covid Long Haulers, which sounds like the drudgery it is.

By early afternoon today I was reaching for the niacin because I was losing patience with myself and everything around me and working myself up to start throwing things. It didn’t help that my 84 year old father, who we’ve been trying to get to come live with us, decided today that he’s staying where he is for another year. He’s only eight miles away, but he lives alone, doesn’t like to cook, usually doesn’t answer his phone, and has increasing health issues. Add to that he fact that we’re on day six or so of nonstop dumping rain, my general lethargy and brain fog, and the current state of the economy and cultural hysteria over Covid mandates and other political nonsense, and today just kind of went downhill. 

At some point I had to get a grip and remind myself that I had a roof over my head, food and clean clothes, and nobody was shooting at me. Yeah, it was the “count your blessings” response. I’m still tired, and at the moment up way too late, but I’m dry, did some free weights his morning, have a purring cat next to me, and the coffee maker is set for the spouse in the AM. Here’s to attacking another day tomorrow.