October 19, 2022
In mid March of 2020, David
and I were having an in-depth conversation about, well, what else—Covid. At
that point we didn’t really know anything much about it. Being over 65, and
having health issues, we were scared. We knew history, and we had known about
the influenza pandemic of the early 1900s. We knew that millions of people had
died, and while it was true that medical science had made huge advances since
then, we also knew that so, too, had the speed with which humans interacted.
We of course didn’t know how
long this new pandemic would last, but we kind of scoffed at the idea that just
15 days staying home and masking and keeping distance when we went out and
washing hands would be enough. In fact, we shook our heads listening to all the
people who thought this would be over “before you know it!” As days passed and
we learned more, we were both comforted and concerned. When it came to our
guesses about how long this would last, we weren’t thinking then in terms of
weeks or months. We thought then in terms of years. And we also thought
it could very well be that this new pandemic would turn endemic. That, like the
flu, it might always be with us if we all didn’t hang tight and do the right
thing together. We knew then as we know now, that having a vaccine would be our
best, and greatest hope.
Now, we never once considered
the possibility that so many people, all of whom had been praying right from
the beginning for a vaccine, would not only reject one when it came, but would spread
lies about it being fatal, and then would refuse to wear masks on top of that. The
“I don’t want to, and you can’t make me crowd!” has to be the most surprising
element in this entire drama for us; and I personally believe that those people
have played a huge role in ensuring that Covid-19 has, indeed, become something
we’ll have to live with forever. But back in the spring we never once considered
that would truly be so.
But there was one thing we did
think about, and talked about, as we were and are both of us of the same mind. This
conversation occurred near the end of 2020.
Me: “You know, if folks are
good enough at all their precautions, I bet you we’ll see a real lessening of
the spreading of colds and flus, at least for this year, as a bonus.”
David: “That could very well
be. Until folks get to the point where they feel it’s safe to not mask or distance
and then those colds and flus will be back with a vengeance.”
Talk about prescient words!
About three weeks ago, on our “nanny
Tuesday”, our two great-grandchildren who are our daughter’s grandbabies, came
for supper as usual. The lad, who was about to turn 8 had a cold. They’d been
testing him, of course, and it was only a cold and not Covid. We didn’t think anything
of it, either. Kids get colds. And then a handful of days later David came down
with a cold.
It started out as an ordinary
cold, but it didn’t take long to morph from ordinary to monster. He had a bit
of a fever for a couple of days, and no, he didn’t test positive for Covid,
either. But it was the worst cold he’s had in probably a decade or more. It
went a familiar route: sore throat first, then sniffles, then a cough. Not a
constant cough, but one that would erupt a few times a day and be fierce. And at
times, it was a dry cough, too. His throat and belly suffered from the
coughing.
I did snoop around online and
I learned that the Rhinovirus which is the common cold has indeed been back
with a vengeance and is hitting hard. Apparently, as it used to be, we had cold
and flu season, and folks would get colds, and they would retain some immunity
in the aftermath, enough that colds tended not to leave you being rode hard and
put up wet. That knowledge did give me some ease of mind.
David’s cold is just tapering
in him now. He only coughs about once a day now. And now, of course, he’s
passed it on to me.
No sore throat here, no fever,
either. Sniffles, yes, and a cough. And while my throat isn’t aching, my voice
went from alto to bass to yesterday, something just above a whisper. While
David has been medicating with specific cold and sinus medication, I am
relegated to my hot lemon water with honey concoction and trying to get more rest.
At one point David looked at
me—before I indeed had the cold—and said: “if you get this, it could kill you.”
He was legitimately quite worried about that fact—but I wasn’t.
Now, it’s been a rough cold
for me, no question. I was a bit achy and while I don’t cough as much as David
did, I still coughed, but only sometimes. Didn’t have much energy and would
doze a bit in my recliner, which I don’t always do. Today I feel a bit better
than yesterday, and I believe that in another few days, I should be mostly over
it.
I knew the question would
come, and I thought about my response to him when it did. And finally, last
night, he asked it.
David: How come your cold wasn’t
as bad as mine?
Me: Well, it might have
something to do with the fact that I don’t think that potato chips are a fit
breakfast food.
I do tend to eat healthier than
he does, especially when it comes to fruits and veggies. And all other things
being more or less equal, I do believe that makes a difference.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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