It was bound to happen sooner or later.
This past Sunday marked the end of Karen’s 10-day encounter with COVID. She didn’t enjoy it, but fortunately, for her, it was nothing more than a cold on steroids.
Like the fantastic wife she is, Karen did not pass this on to me. I cannot thank her enough.
Instead, I spent those 10 days as part of the growing fraternity of care providers.
For the last 2+ years, I have been in awe of all of the thousands of nurses and other medical personnel working in ICUs, hospitals, urgent care centers and other professional settings, risking their own health, emotional strength and stamina to do all they can to help the rest of us. Courageous medical people are truly heroes. I have even more respect for them now.
I learned some important lessons during Karen’s brief time with this wretched virus. First and foremost, two vaccinations and two boosters gave her the gift of a mild case.
Lesson #2: I never thought I would have to do such a thing, but wearing a mask in my own house while KY was sick was a smart thing to do.
Lesson #3: Moving down the hall to the guest bedroom was also a good decision. Give your better half a box of Kleenex and send her off to bed on her own. Never sleep with a COVID-infected spouse, even if you’re on your honeymoon.
Lesson #4: Anybody can cook, even a helpless male. Where quality falls down is the need to make a salad, cook veggies and grill something on the patio, all simultaneously – and for all that food to be ready to eat at the exact same time. And, when your spouse has COVID, eat in separate rooms. That’s more important than cold lima beans. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with leftovers, especially if they were undercooked the first time around.
Lesson #5: No question the big boy PCR test is the most accurate – I had two of them, both with negative results – but home tests beat no tests. If I were 65 and not just a kid of 38, I would go to my local pharmacy right now to get some free home tests courtesy of the nice folks at Medicare.
Lesson #6: Loading used items in a dishwasher is obnoxious work. I often thought it might be better to just throw them away. But what you rookies will soon discover is that getting clean dishes out of the dishwasher and putting them away is even less fun. A man’s work is never done.
Lesson #7: COVID could care less about your plans. For us, it has already messed up Christmas, Easter, a birthday, a college graduation, Mother’s Day and a lot of golf. Be flexible. Always have a rain date. What’s wrong with Christmas in July?
Lesson #8: There’s a lot of confusing and contradictory messaging out there. Our doctor said 10 days is the right amount of time to lay low. An urgent care center in the same hospital system told me 5 days. Pick your poison.
Lesson #9: Nobody wants to get COVID. At its start, everybody says the same thing – I don’t have COVID. It’s just a bad cold. Get tested.
Lesson #10: Takeout food on a COVID Saturday works well if you leave to pick it up 15 minutes earlier than you think is necessary. Lot of folks will be in line when you get there. The line will be slower than you guesstimate. Remember that restaurants are pretty much all understaffed these days.
I’m grateful KY is ok. I’m grateful I am, too.
One more time for a virtual standing "O" for all those gutsy healthcare workers and scientists, even when they send mixed messages. If COVID is finally on the downside it’s because of all of them wrapping their arms around something new and scary. Nobody can ask someone else for better than their best effort. I believe we have all benefited from that. Job well done!!!
DY: In Just a Few Words is a blog that comes out when something needs to be said or every Tuesday - whichever comes first. Davis Young is a communications professional who adds 50+ years of experience and perspective to issues of the day. His emphasis in DY: In Just a Few Words will be humor (a touch of sarcasm here, a pinch of facetiousness there...). Once in a while, he will touch on something a bit more serious - but hopefully not too deep or depressing.
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Karen was in good hands, Davis. But you should have paid attention all those years she was in the kitchen. Glad she recovered from Covid and your care.