HIDE & SEEK: HOW COVID FOUND OUR FAMILY
ANGER
FRUSTRATION
FEAR
ANXIETY
These are all feelings I found myself experiencing as COVID took over our home a year after we first learned of this virus; 11 months to be exact! I know it's been 11 months because I have been counting the days, weeks, hours, and minutes. We've followed all the rules, we wear masks, we sanitize and wash our hands, we don't gather, we don't party, we don't have guests at our home... how did this happen?
There's six of us in our home, so when I say "we" I mean all of us, for the most part. I work remotely from home 100%, Haley attends school remotely 100%, Ed works remotely from home and in the field as necessary and he could not bring himself to give up golfing every Saturday, even in the midst of a pandemic! Prettie works remotely and in the field as necessary, Jaedyn and Evelyn both work outside the home daily. I clean and sanitize this house often; we all clean and sanitize every Sunday (the entire house), we have oodles of masks and cleaning supplies. I gave up attending any functions, my social life took a dive downward; friends would sneer amongst one another and have lots to say about me not attending events. I felt like an outsider in my own circles; I felt like I was the only one who was taking "Stay Home" orders seriously. I would sit and watch everyone on social media still living life as if nothing happened. There were times when I made "appearances" after hearing, "really wish you could come". However, my appearances included me showing up before anyone else, wearing a mask, greeting the host, and leaving before it got too crowded.
I remember going to a friends house and having to deal with comments like. "can I hug you?" or "is it okay to shake your hand?" While I appreciate them asking, it was the tone I was being asked in that made me uncomfortable and take pause. Is it a bad thing to not want to catch COVID? Why did people take it so personally that I did not trust anything or anyone? At the end of the day, that's what it boiled down to. "Oh, you don't trust me? We've known one another for the longest and you don't want to be around me without a mask?" It was tough not socializing as I am a social butterfly, but I was not taking any chances with COVID. COVID does not know or care who you are friends with, or related to. I haven't even been inside my mother's home this entire time. Some can't believe that, as if me considering my mother's age and the fact that my nephew who lives there as well is a sever asthmatic, is me being cruel to my mother. On the contrary, I love my mother and know that folks in my house are coming in contact with other people daily. There are no chances to be taken with COVID regardless of how folks view you. Besides, I've never been big on acceptance from others. Folks will want want you to neglect everything you stand for to make them happy, meanwhile you're miserable. NO THANKS!
After everything I thought I was doing right, how did I get treated so wrong? How did this virus get in our house????
January 18th... yup! I remember. Jaedyn (20 yo) comes home with a stuffy nose. I was not concerned because stuffy nose was it; however, my children suffer from seasonal allergies, we thought it was just her allergies.
January 22nd Jaedyn is now coughing with her stuffy nose. She's still saying allergies. At this time, I'm asking, "do you have COVID?"
January 23rd Jaedyn woke up with a fever. Prettie immediately found a testing center and Jaedyn leaves to be tested. Evelyn gets tested the same day. Haley begins to exhibit symptoms.
January 24th Jaedyn's results are in: POSITIVE. Haley and I head to get tested.
January 25th Haley's results are in: POSITIVE. My results are in: NEGATIVE. Ed and Prettie get tested just to know if they may be infected.
January 26th Ed and Prettie's results are in: NEGATIVE
January 27th I wake up with a scratchy throat, coughing, and stuffy nose.
January 29th Ed begins sneezing. Initially, we aren't concerned; this family sneezes a lot with allergies.
January 30th My symptoms persist and Ed's get worse. By late night, I can't smell anything, but I did not realize that my sense of smell was gone until...
January 31st Ed and I get dressed to get tested (again) and as I reach for my perfume (just because I'm sick does not mean I will not smell or look good!), I choose Versace because it's my favorite. I'm squirting and squirting and realize, "I can't smell anything! Why can't I smell anything?" I sniff my wrist, nothing. I sniff it again, nothing. I pick the bottle up and spray the back of my hand. I sniff, nothing. I stand there in disbelief and amazement... come to think of it, I could not smell that candle I lit last night or the incense I burned. It hit me in that moment. I HAVE COVID. Ed walks in the room, I tell him. He says, "can you smell my cologne?" He leans in and I say "NO! I can't smell you either." The car ride was pretty quiet as we both knew the inevitable at this point. We spoke briefly and wandered off in our own thoughts...
February 1st My test results are in: POSITIVE. Pretties calls from work, she's having fever and chills; she leaves work and gets tested. Ed's results are in: POSITIVE. Prettie comes home and climbs into bed.
February 2nd Prettie's test results are in: POSITIVE
...
But we did everything we were supposed to. Or, did WE? No one wants to be the culprit in the family to say, I slipped up a bit. I was not cautious/careful. No one wants to be the person to say I brought this home from work. Regardless, in spite of all my efforts to keep my family safe and healthy, COVID found us. It found its way into our home. While I am afraid, there is no room for fear right now as my main focus is ensuring my family heals. We are all caring for one another as best we can and hoping that we heal from this. We have a supplement regimen we are following and we are tracking our symptoms. The prayers, calls, and texts we have received are appreciated. It is my hope that I will be back to write a blog post about our healing and recovery.
As usual, we order our food from Amazon Fresh, who have been AMAZING throughout this entire pandemic. They deliver fresh food and groceries with a level of care and contactless deliveries. COSTCO has also delivered products we need with the same level of comfort and care. While there is nothing we need, it is still nice when others care to reach out. When everything first happened, I had everything I needed to make this 'COVID TEA" I'd seen on Tik Tok (don't judge me) except cinnamon sticks and whole cloves; I wanted some 7-Up. My friend Angela stopped what she was doing and made the grocery run for us and for that I am grateful. I am grateful for my friend Nakitta who calls me and texts to keep me centered and encouraged and offer her help. Our aunt Lillian made us homemade chicken soup and cornbread and it was delicious as it was made with love. Its nice to have close friends and family who truly care. We are indeed blessed beyond measure. We also received some other goodies in the mail today:
Kaiser sent over this box of love to us:
My colleagues sent this wonderful SPOONFUL OF COMFORT box to us:
When I first opened the box, this adorable presentation greeted me. I love this touch of LOVE
A brief description about the box and its purpose
Lots of treats inside. Tea, playing cards, cookies, soup, and rolls!
We love a good game night!
We received two sets of these
As SUPER BOWL SUNDAY approaches, please be mindful that COVID is real and there are new variants at large. As you consider living your lives and socializing mask free, just remember the Evans Family who played by the rules and still contracted the virus. All it takes is a second for a droplet to "get you". e safe, but most importantly, BE SMART. MAKE WISE DECISIONS. As my family is fully aware, others can suffer behind our poor, unwise decisions.
Just some of the things we're taking to heal
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