“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” ― Eckhart Tolle

Yes, I just rhymed the title of this post with a 1970’s one hit wonder because…welll…I’m going on Day 7 of my COVID-induced quarantine and things are getting a little nutty around here.

A caveat to this post – I am fully vaccinated, got my booster, don’t have any pre-existing conditions, am not immuno-compromised, and the pandemic has not affected my financial situation in any major way. This is the perspective of a healthy, 40-something who spent 10 days out of 31 in January on ski slopes with friends. Caveat complete.

So back to this whole Rona business. I tested positive last week, which I’m pretty sure was the universe’s way of saying, “Slow your roll.” With the aforementioned ski trips, I was not spending a lot of time resting, and this week-plus of quarantine has forced just that. My mild flu symptoms have been accompanied by some serious fatigue, causing me to take middle-of-the-day naps and crawl into bed by 8:30 or 9:00 pm. (Let’s be honest, that wasn’t a stretch from my regular routine.)

It’s funny what solitude will do for an extrovert like me. I both welcome it and despite it equally. I feel tired all the time from lack of social interaction (Zoom does NOT count), but look forward to nights on the couch to catch up on the latest season of This is Us (I mean, seriously – they get me every episode). Plus, my journal game has never been more on point.

Quarantine is helping me realize I am totally ok with my own company, at peace with my own thoughts. At the same time, I’m realizing how very much for granted I take hugs and face-to-face conversations. Heck, I even miss going to UPS right now. It’s challenging my obligation to others versus self – really testing if my mindset of “taking quarantine seriously because it’s doing my part in society” meets the proverbial road.

That said, I know this time is not for nothing. That the rest my body is taking is good and necessary. That the small reminders daily of each and every blessing will stay with me for a long time. And that my circumstances are so incredibly fortunate compared to many who have been devastated by this crazy world event.

Last week, I took a work break to get up from the couch (my office when I had my more flu-ish symptoms) and stand outside on my porch. It was a sunny day, so I stood at the part where our front tree lets the sun in and turned to the sky, drinking in the golden rays. I then sat on my steps and watched the boys at the high school across the street running soccer drills. Normally, their loud yelling annoys me, but for once, I was glad to see such a vibrant display of life, reminding me the world still exists outside of my cocoon. A world I very much look forward to rejoining soon.

Note: I’ve had people ask me about a timeline, so here it is:

• Day 0: hard to say but I believe I picked up the virus on my plane ride back from my last snowboarding trip
• Day 1: took a rapid test the morning after I got home; tested negative; felt a little achy but nothing that prevented my daily activities
• Day 2: started feeling symptoms – a scratchy throat, more achy; that night, I had a fever
• Day 3: woke up with a mild flu including cough; took a rapid home test and tested positive; went and got a PCR test at a drive thru center; worked from bed and took frequent naps
• Day 4: mild flu and cough continued; graduated to working from the couch
• Day 5: most flu symptoms subsided but still felt fatigued
• Day 6: felt more energetic, but not enough to do anything besides a 15-min dance cardio video; cough subsided
• Day 7: could not get out of bed until after 11+ hours of sleep; worked from office with stand-up desk for first time since Day 1; took rapid home test – tested positive

I’m planning to quarantine for the full 10 days and then continue to test per common sense (and this interesting article).

Update on Day 10 of quarantine

I woke up today, Day 10, feeling like I was going to bust out of my house and start singing, “A Whole New World.” But first, I took another rapid home test. From everything I’ve read, rapid home tests are quite helpful in determining your level of contagion because if you test positive, it means you have a significant viral load of live virus. The last two times I’ve taken the rapid home test (since testing positive), that “T line” has been strong – no doubt I was infected. But this morning’s was faint, almost unnoticeable. But, its existence means I am still at least partially contagious, so canceled all my “Set Rachel Free!” plans for the weekend involving close quarters and non mask situations.

This morning, I opted to walk around my neighborhood to shake off some of my positive test results disappointment. It was sunshine-y and it felt amazing to simply gaze up at the sky and see the palm tree silhouettes against the blue sky. Then, there were people, and suddenly, I had the urge to run across the street yelling “unlean, unclean” about myself circa 1500 B.C. as if I had leprosy. I was suddenly aware that “stranger danger” is now a thing for adults. “I don’t know you and where you’ve been, neighbor I’ve never seen! Also, I have the plague.” I squelched my urge and calmly walked in the street whenever there were potential sidewalk sharers, and went on with my day as I have the last 10.

[Photo: the very sweet flowers a friend dropped off at my door, helping brighten up my living room.]