Tapped on the wall near my computer, where I can see it all the time, I have my COVID 19 Vaccination Record Card. Even though I got my two COVID shots and its three boosters, it was surely just a matter of time! Yes, I finally tested positive for COVID! I decided to wait till I was almost over it before I reflected on my experience in a blog post today.
I have tried to be careful most of the time. I have been in crowds (mostly at Masses) and public places (like restaurants) for the last few months - some of the time without masks. I had grown to think that I would be one of those lucky people who had escaped COVID. Wrong! At the end of last week, at the end of the day, I drove out to my doctor's office to be tested while still in my car because I had a very stuffy nose and was starting to feel achy. It felt like the flu, but I wanted to be sure. He tested me for the FLU and COVID. A few minutes later my doctor came out to tell me that I had indeed tested positive for COVID. On one hand, I was shocked. On the other hand I was grateful - grateful that I had gotten the vaccines with their boosters and that I would probably recover in a few days.
I am certainly not writing this to get sympathy. Some people have had COVID two or three times. I am simply writing this as a warning. No matter how careful we are, we need to know that we are still susceptible! On the way home from being tested, I kept thinking of all those people (before the vaccinations were available and those who refused vaccinations) who were in the hospital on respirators for extended amounts of time, Many of them died and were not even buried with dignity! As a result, I actually felt lucky!
I have tried to be safe, but my profession requires that I be in crowds especially on the weekends for Masses. I haven't been on a plane since the beginning of COVID. I haven't been to a movie theatre or a concert hall for a long time. I have eaten out a few times a month at the most. I have been to the grocery quite a bit, but usually in a mask. I could have gotten COVID from somebody at the dedication of the St. Theresa Family Life Center, but I doubt it. The timing didn't seem quite right. I could have gotten it at Mass here in Louisville the next day or any other place at the beginning of the week. What I do blame it on is the fact that I was worn down and exhausted from weeks of pushing myself to "get things done on time." I learned the hard way that I am just as vulnerable as everybody else!
In quarantine, I realized a few things about myself of which I needed to be reminded. First, I am no "spring chicken! No, I am more of an "old rooster!" Second, as my "St. Theresa Project" was getting close to completion, I pledged to make it my last building project. My present situation made me realize the wisdom of that insight and decision. Third, I realized that it's past time to slow down! I don't need to keep driving myself to the point of exhaustion all the time which makes me vulnerable to sicknesses. I need to say "yes" to rest and "no" to work more often without permanently being consigned to a rocking chair or recliner! I realized that I had become one of those people who professes to be "retired" on paper, but keeps on working "full time" in reality.
In quarantine, I realized that the world can go on without me! I was forced to clear my calendar of the commitments that I had made - something I found very hard to do. That comes from a childhood script that I am not valuable unless I am accomplishing something. When I did clear my calendar, I found out that the world did not end. In fact, the world hardly noticed. As if I needed more proof of that fact, while "out of commission," one of my ordination classmates died. It reminded me in stark terms that the world actually can go on without us?
The famous ancient Greek physician Hippocrates was right! "Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity." You can learn a lot about yourself and your priorities while you are sick! Thank God I am healthy enough to recover!
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