[Due to my website being offline while it was being redesigned, this update was previously posted only on Substack and Facebook.]

Days 14 – 17 May 3-5

After the rebound of Covid symptoms for forty-eight hours, those symptoms again subsided. On day 17, I saw my doctor for a persistent cough, lung congestion, headache, and sinus congestion. I learned that Covid rebound can happen also to those suffering from Covid who don’t take Paxlovid. My doctor said that due to my AFib (which so far hasn’t returned since my cardiac ablation last fall) if I get Covid again, I should absolutely take Paxlovid. I agree.

After examining me, my doctor said I didn’t have any secondary infections. My lungs had some inflammation; the cough could linger for weeks. She recommended rest, fluids, and time. 

Days 17 – 23 May 5-11

I turned 60 this year. My relationship to time has changed. I have so much less of it. I have so much I want to do. Having Covid is the opposite of that. Having Covid is doing the least amount possible. And doing it in a different way. Move slower. Rest often. I lie on the couch, the floor, the bed. Sometimes Sliver joins me, a furball purring on my chest. 

Over the course of two days, I go shopping for flowers with my mother and plant them in her hanging baskets. These tasks are bookended with naps. 

I plant some flowers in my own hanging baskets. Partway through the planting, I lie back on the grass, look up at the sky, and stay that way for 10 minutes or so. 

Having Covid can be a mindfulness practice. As I rest, I notice what I see, smell, hear, feel. In between walking from point A to point B, I stop and survey my surroundings. There is no hurry. I am here. Being here is good. And so is feeling better.