COVID19 – Sassy Dreams Awake

I’ve been mocked by how seriously I take my COVID precautions. I’m not an alarmist. Anyone who tells you COVID not serious or that you don’t have to be careful, or it’s just like the flu, hasn’t experienced COVID personally or known anyone who has or they’ve just been super lucky.

It’s personal now. I hate that it’s personal now. COVID can affect the lungs and heart (and so many other things) long after a negative test. I’ve known this in my head. Now I know it for a fact. I hope none of you have to learn this the hard way either personally or because of someone you know and cared about.

No, I don’t have COVID. And I will continue to be super cautious so I don’t get it. Monday, my doctor cautioned me that the next wave is coming and implored me not to relax, to not let my guard down. Hunker down, get to the other side.

No matter the intention or diligence, the only person I can trust to take care of me and ensure that the right precautions are taken is me.

Today is day 214, and I’m not sure I can do a video today without weeping, screaming or begging. Maybe I’ll try later. I don’t know. I’m still upset. The mixture of emotions – knowing COVID ultimately ended the life of someone I knew, wondering how long we have to wait for the politics to be extracted from this virus and wondering how long until I can safely see people and hug people and just relax outside of my bubble – it’s all so overwhelming right now.

I’m grateful I am able to work from home and I have everything I need in my bubble. I plan on living a long life. I have too much to do and see and experience and I will never take any of that for granted again.

Please, please take COVID seriously. I don’t if care I’m mocked anymore. I know I’m doing what’s right for me and those around me. When I get to the other side of this season, I will have no regrets.

I finally have a home computer, which makes it much easier to do updates to just about everything, because I’m wordy and I like to type. As much as I love and have been grateful for my iPad the last couple of years, I’m so happy to have a computer again.

I’ve been away from the office, working from home, since March 14. More than two weeks! I’ve had staycations before, but nothing like this. Nothing like this mind-numbing isolation. No good morning chats, no phone calls, no interactions of any sort.

The social distancing has been extended until April 30th. I’ll admit I cried when I saw that news. Being alone like this, even as introverted as I can be, is not optimal. Even if I go out for walks, I can’t interact with anyone really. Most people are scared to come close enough to talk to each other. I have my groceries delivered. I’m trying to see if I can get my prescriptions delivered as well.

I have to be careful. I’m one of those who could be classified as immunocompromised. It’s not something I talk about often. I had admitting any vulnerability but after a good talking to by text by my beloved cousin/doctor, I had to go into my boss and ask to work from home (about a week earlier than most ended up doing so themselves. Of course, my company cares about its people, and they loaded me up with monitors and a full desk setup and off to my home office I went.

Working from home sounds like fun, and it is nice to work from home every now and then. To work from home for WEEKS ON END without any social activity in between, is not fun. It’s not. I don’t hate it, but it’s difficult. If I had social time after working at home all day, that might be a different story.

I started doing a video blog on my first day of working from home. To be honest, I’ve been home a couple of days longer than that. I decided to start posting them to Facebook and to my YouTube Channel as an outlet and as a way to let people know I’m ok. Or struggling. Or both.

I’m hopeful that, now that I have more tangible creative outlets, that I will endure better. Until then, I am Pandemic Social Distancing, at least until April 30th. I’m hopeful that will be it, but as we inch closer to 200,000 people infected, I doubt it. Before it’s over, I’m sure we’ll all know someone who succumbed to COVID 19.

Until we’re out in the sun again together, less than 6 feet apart, let’s keep lifting each other up, even if it is from a distance.