Hello Covid, come on in.

The day has finally arrived. Covid is in our house. It’s now February of 2022, almost two years into the pandemic and I’m surprisingly at peace with the positive test result. For the greater part of the last two years, Covid has taken the brunt of my divorce anger. The two events (lockdown and proclamation of divorce) happened within a week of one another and for the longest time I couldn’t distinguish my anger between the two. At a time when I needed human connection the most, I was robbed of time spent with my friends, my co-workers, my students and my extended family. Instead of playing fun games at home and doing puzzles and enjoying an un-rushed time of family bonding, our family was dealing with heartbreak, division of homes and dismantling of the life we once knew. To say that I was angry at Covid is an understatement.

It’s a Covid Party

Do you remember the chicken pox parties of the 1980’s? When one kid in the neighborhood got sick with chicken pox, all the moms in the neighborhood would intentionally expose their kids to the illness so that it could be over and done with. Their rationale was that the kids’ bodies would fight off the infection and build immunity towards the infectious disease. These days there’s a vaccine for chicken pox. Taking oatmeal baths with the neighbors will never be a childhood memory that my children will share with their kids. But the Coronavirus? Shoot, that’s defining their childhood.

Back in February of 2020, my daughter and ex-husband fell ill to what we now refer to as the Alpha variant of the Coronavirus (you can read about the harrowing ordeal in my posts “Look For the Good” and Wisdom of Winter #furious). My two sons and I inexplicably never caught the virus. Two years later, even though I am not vaccinated, I haven’t gotten sick. There are many people who love and care about me who are incredibly scared for me, but I’m not. I’m so tired of living an existence that’s full of fear about this virus. I’m done with all the panic and counting of numbers. I feel like making peace with Covid is the next step I need to take to release the pain surrounding my divorce. So when my fifteen year old daughter got the positive test result back earlier this week, I decided (much to my school nurse’s contrary advice) that this would be the moment for our Covid Party. And just to be clear, by Covid “Party”, I’m talking about a party of three plus one puppy quarantined in our house for the next week.

My choice for natural immunity…please read with love

I have always believed in a person’s right to make choices that they feel are in the best interest for their bodies. When I was pregnant, I chose to have un-medicated home births. I remember a lot of people being very scared for me and my births, but I knew it was how I wanted to honor my body and that I wanted to feel the power of bringing a new life into breathing existence. For the record, my babies were all born in full term-heathy-abundance at 8lbs 8oz, 9lbs and 8lbs 14oz respectively (now you know why I can’t jump on trampolines without peeing). Three healthy children, born at home with love and new carpets.

In the debate over a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy, I leave that choice to the woman. Would I make that choice personally? I don’t know and thankfully, I’ve never had to make it. But the choice belongs to the person who’s body is affected by the decision.

My decision to not get vaccinated with the mNRA “vaccine” comes down to my knowledge of my own body and how it responds and recovers from illness. I choose to defer to my body’s innate ability to fight off infections rather than depend on an mRNA created in a laboratory that teaches our cells how to make a protein (CDC Understanding mRNA Covid-19 vaccines). I make this choice because I know my body. It is strong. It is healthy. It has created and brought forth life and fought off plenty of illnesses in the past (including Chicken Pox) and I have no doubt that it will not fail me now. Does this mean that I don’t want anyone to get the mNRA booster? Absolutely not! You do what’s right for you. But please, allow me to do what’s right for me without judgement, condemnation or shame. I love my community and care deeply about the health and well-being of others. So I will wear my mask and social distance and wash my hands, and keep myself and my children quarantined during our illness. But take the mRNA? What can I say? I guess I’m just a little hippy.

Natural Prevention Regime

On this Soul Care Sunday, I thought I’d share the preventative illness regime that I’ve developed over the years. If there are any take-away from this pandemic, it’s my hope that it will teach us all to listen to our bodies better and to allow ourselves the time and space to tend to our physical (as well as mental and spiritual) well-being.

1. Sleep. Rest. Then sleep some more.
2. Drink Water Like Crazy.
3. Boost your immunity with supplements and vitamins.
4. Harness the power of your mind to accept the circumstances and release control.
5. Fuel your body with healthy whole foods (and a little Ben & Jerry’s for the soul!)

We are on day three of our Covid party and this is what the days look like so far: we wake up around 9am (shockingly, Jasper is compliant with this request, like he knows more than he leads on to know). We fill our water bottles and challenge ourselves to finishing two before noon. We have a healthy breakfast along with echinacea, zinc, elderberry & turmeric and vitamins C & D. Then we sit on the couch and binge watch America’s Next Top Model and throw chew toys for Jasper until he finally settles down in someone’s lap. Around noon or 1pm, the person who is feeling the best (usually me) makes soup and refills water bottles and administers another round of supplements with tea and pretty soon it’s 9pm and we’ve watched an entire season of ANTM. What will we watch tomorrow? Probably a little Pitch Perfect or Mamma Mia. At bedtime, we do tuck ins with these affirmations:

1. I am strong and healthy.
2. My body recovers quickly from illness.
3. Be here now.

I remind the kids that if they wake up in the night not feeling well to repeat the first two affirmations. If their mind starts racing about life and responsibilities outside of our Covid walls, it’s the third affirmation that really helps. Because I believe that when you fully accept the moment that you’re living, your stress dissolves and that will allow your body to heal more quickly. Finally, as I tuck myself in, I play healing frequency music (432 Hz) and pray to the Universe that our symptoms will remain mild and that those who are suffering from this illness will find reprieve. I give thanks for everything that I have- a warm bed, a comfortable couch, Netflix, running water, food in the pantry, friends who are checking in on us, my body’s ability to fight off illness, and on and on.

Full Circle

Having Covid back in the house two years later has showed me my growth since 2020. Whereas before I would throw a fit of rage about all the plans and schedules that I would have to rearrange, this time I calmly made the necessary phone calls, went grocery shopping, took a deep breath, put on my PJs and settled in. I’m experiencing some body and head aches; the kids have had low grade fevers and sore throats. But we are accepting this illness and letting it pass through us, because we know that what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger (cue Kelly Clarkson). Ultimately, our Covid party has been all about surrendering to what is.

I wonder if there something today that you have been resisting? What would it feel like to surrender to it? Try it for a day and check in on how you feel. And should you succumb to Covid, may your symptoms be mild and your recovery swift. You will come out stronger. Namaste

Typerwriter Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash