clipped_wings
Established Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2016
- Posts
- 1,109
It would seem there is not a Human Being left on Earth that has not been impacted by the insidious onslaught of COVID-19.
Thank God for AFF and the Community Forums. The ability to vent/question/resolve/debate our thoughts and feelings may just well save me - and hopefully many others. This thread is a diary for me to catalogue my journey with CO19. I use the term catalogue, because it's exactly what I am doing to survive right now. I'm taking every negative thought, every positive revelation. Everything I learn and suffer. And I am documenting it here, for my benefit and maybe the benefit of anyone else willing to share it. Hopefully, when I read back, I will see how far we have come. And how close we came.
There is a perverse comfort knowing so much of the globe is struggling as I am now. Isn't that so weird? It's not a case of schadenfreude - but rather a way for me to reconcile my pain and grief. It is a harsh fact for me to acknowledge. I am struggling. We are all struggling.
I'm not supposed to struggle with my life. I am a 57 year old outspoken, confident woman with a professional trade to my name. I have a husband and four great kids. I have a nice home with an average mortgage, a great job that I love. I am in reasonable good health. I don't have CO19 and so far (touch wood) I don't know anyone who has succumbed to it.
Then why am I struggling?
I guess I should start at the beginning to make sense of it all....
20 JANUARY 2020
We are in Anaheim, California. Enjoying the start of a big family holiday. All is well. The LA skies are blue (a miracle in itself) and the days are warm and filled with happy events. i develop a dry cough. Nothing too severe. Take a few Strepsils and remind myself to drink more water.
31 JANUARY
The cough persists. I am now dealing with a runny nose and general aches & pains. Still not concerned, as the Adrenalin rush from Disneyland is more than enough to compensate. I buy some toxic, horrible purple solution from CVS and start a daily regime of cough suppressants. Most of the News on American TV focuses on the Australian bush fires. There is little to no reference to CO19. We don't give it much thought to be honest.
3 FEBRUARY
We are waiting at LAX for our return flight to Australia. My cough has subsided enough for me to justify drinking a few scotches in the Emirates Lounge. We are seated on the balcony - in the corner overlooking the main Departures area. I casually remark to Mr Clipped that there are a disproportionate number of Asian travellers wearing face masks. I mean, they were everywhere. "What is going on?" we asked ourselves. We had heard somewhere before we left Oz that there was some small health issue in a remote area of China faaaaaaar away from where we were sitting. But there had simply been NOTHING pertaining to it on any US station or radio. Nothing on social media. So we just couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.
And here is a painful admission for me: I laughed. I giggled at their extreme actions in the airport. We had just checked in and there was little to no proactive measures by the TSA that would have given cause for concern. But laugh we did. I even joked "Do you think they know something we don't?" to Mr Clipped.
We had no idea what we were laughing at. We flew home on a calm, clear night - and landed smack bang into the face of COVID-19.
And life as we knew it was about to change forever.
Next: First Kick in the Guts
Thank God for AFF and the Community Forums. The ability to vent/question/resolve/debate our thoughts and feelings may just well save me - and hopefully many others. This thread is a diary for me to catalogue my journey with CO19. I use the term catalogue, because it's exactly what I am doing to survive right now. I'm taking every negative thought, every positive revelation. Everything I learn and suffer. And I am documenting it here, for my benefit and maybe the benefit of anyone else willing to share it. Hopefully, when I read back, I will see how far we have come. And how close we came.
There is a perverse comfort knowing so much of the globe is struggling as I am now. Isn't that so weird? It's not a case of schadenfreude - but rather a way for me to reconcile my pain and grief. It is a harsh fact for me to acknowledge. I am struggling. We are all struggling.
I'm not supposed to struggle with my life. I am a 57 year old outspoken, confident woman with a professional trade to my name. I have a husband and four great kids. I have a nice home with an average mortgage, a great job that I love. I am in reasonable good health. I don't have CO19 and so far (touch wood) I don't know anyone who has succumbed to it.
Then why am I struggling?
I guess I should start at the beginning to make sense of it all....
20 JANUARY 2020
We are in Anaheim, California. Enjoying the start of a big family holiday. All is well. The LA skies are blue (a miracle in itself) and the days are warm and filled with happy events. i develop a dry cough. Nothing too severe. Take a few Strepsils and remind myself to drink more water.
31 JANUARY
The cough persists. I am now dealing with a runny nose and general aches & pains. Still not concerned, as the Adrenalin rush from Disneyland is more than enough to compensate. I buy some toxic, horrible purple solution from CVS and start a daily regime of cough suppressants. Most of the News on American TV focuses on the Australian bush fires. There is little to no reference to CO19. We don't give it much thought to be honest.
3 FEBRUARY
We are waiting at LAX for our return flight to Australia. My cough has subsided enough for me to justify drinking a few scotches in the Emirates Lounge. We are seated on the balcony - in the corner overlooking the main Departures area. I casually remark to Mr Clipped that there are a disproportionate number of Asian travellers wearing face masks. I mean, they were everywhere. "What is going on?" we asked ourselves. We had heard somewhere before we left Oz that there was some small health issue in a remote area of China faaaaaaar away from where we were sitting. But there had simply been NOTHING pertaining to it on any US station or radio. Nothing on social media. So we just couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.
And here is a painful admission for me: I laughed. I giggled at their extreme actions in the airport. We had just checked in and there was little to no proactive measures by the TSA that would have given cause for concern. But laugh we did. I even joked "Do you think they know something we don't?" to Mr Clipped.
We had no idea what we were laughing at. We flew home on a calm, clear night - and landed smack bang into the face of COVID-19.
And life as we knew it was about to change forever.
Next: First Kick in the Guts