.....the covid blues

 Yogis,

Ever had one of these weeks? I am standing at the starting line ready for the week ahead. The starting gun goes off and as I take my first step I realize my shoelaces are tied together. Down I go. From there it is a long slow crawl.

It began with a sty in my eye. I believe I have only had one sty in my entire life and I recall being about 10.  A little unsightly and uncomfortable but, oh well.

That evening, I am sitting in my front yard under the glow of the full moon when I hear sirens in the distance. Closer and closer until finally I see red lights coming up the street and parking in front of my 95 year old next door neighbor’s house.

Running in I find him coherent, but cold and clammy and scared. It is determined that he should go to the hospital and I wave as his tiny body is carted out on a stretcher. Everything will be ok I yell. I get his house in order and turn off the lights.

The next morning I spot this in my garden. She is getting ready.

My phone rings. A call alerting me that I have potentially been exposed to Covid. My heart skips a beat. Images flash across my mind of everyone I have been near over the last several days and dread makes a home inside me as I imagine having to make warning phone calls. The search for testing sites with quick results begins.

The next morning I notice her again.

In my reflection I see the bags under my eyes are larger than usual and there are several spots on my face. Oh no! Covid rash! I google it and keep checking in the mirror. A patch appears on my arm. Should I be cowering in my bedroom? Vitamin C. Zinc.

Finally, it begins to pop up in rows letting me know she is not covid……only poison ivy. Yikes! Around my eyes, along my nose, down my arm and on my thigh. Angry itchy red bumps. And no, I did not miss the irony of her visit immediately following my ‘I love to weed’ blog. I wasn’t laughing. The only saving grace was that I could wear a mask all day to cover it without anyone thinking I was weird!

And then there was her.

At this point it was clear that the long-planned trip to finally see my parents for the weekend was going to have to be rescheduled. Sigh.

At last a few steps forward. My test results were negative. Thank you Universe!!! My neighbor gets moved to rehab. Thank you Universe!

Then Phoebe begins coughing…….  A trip to the vet and a prescription in case it is bacterial is given. My face is now swollen so I decide to try out a tele-visit (I give it a thumbs up) and get my own prescription. Together she and I are the walking wounded as we stay clear of others.

She continues to open to the light.

Friday night a friend texts to ask if I ever get the Covid blues. Oh yeah. Each of the things above alone would have been manageable. But when thrown together and wrapped up neatly inside a pandemic, it becomes a lot. Everything more complicated. More serious.

I respond that indeed I do. But once I notice, I head outside to tune my frequency to that of the August bugs and watch a blooming zinnia to remember that everything is exactly as it is supposed to be.

She was my teacher this week and for that I am grateful,
SARAH