Sunday, May 17, 2020

One Long Comeback


When Covid-19 stopped the world in March, I was already sick. One of our adult children came down with something, and I soon had it. My case was far lighter than hers, but her symptoms were more typical of what we hear with Covid-19. It went on for weeks for both of us. She was down, but I worked at home most days. What did we have? Not influenza A or B or strep or pneumonia, we know for sure. It was early on, and Covid testing was just becoming available for the very ill. Thankfully, we both got better, and no one near to us got the same thing.








Stay at home orders went out soon after. Masks went on. Oh, how we all made masks! There was such fear about going anywhere. Our older relatives and friends isolated themselves. Our family would pool grocery orders, and send the sacrificial lamb into Aldi or Walmart no more than once a week. 









We cooked, and cooked, and cooked, cleaned a little, and nested at home. Our family was all part of an essential business so work went on carefully. We heard about the countries and cities hurt the worst. We waited. Would we be next? The curve flattened, and the closures continued. It was all such a strange world to wake up to. Our initial fear of the unknown was hard to manage--up and down. One day I realized I was just over it. I would be careful, but I also needed to live life.







I hadn't posted since I got sick even though I was quilting like a madwoman. I would just wait until things worked themselves out or brightened up a bit. I waited, and I waited. For a while, the news got darker. I worked on happy projects to keep my spirits up.






Finally, I did try to write. I wrote. I read. I deleted. I couldn't post that.

Have you ever written an email or letter, and allowed it to brew overnight before sending it? And then in the morning read it again thinking it didn't sound like you, or you felt differently? Aging it a few hours let me see and hear a different person. I really thought I had a handle on coping with everything going on, but there was a real sadness in my words regardless of my mindset. I'm not one to fake peppy so I waited on pause while I quilted away.



It seems everyone else was coping by quilting, too. Here are some of the edge to edge designs I did. I'll show you the custom quilts the next time.
















Finally, I don't sound quite so flat anymore. I'm ready to be back here, and not take you down with me. I'm optimistic things will get better as time goes on. This is the our new normal--at least for a while. I'll keep my social distance, wear a mask when I can't, and keep my hands washed and off my face. Those are simple, doable ways to stay safe, but I will live life, and will not live in fear. And in spite of the cliche and hashtags, yes, we are all in this together. Good things will come. I feel it.


Stay well, keep stitching, and I'll see you in a few days.


Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.


12 comments:

  1. So good, great to read your words. I am weary- the fear, negativity, etc. I can't take anymore. I live in NY, so it is a constant bombardment of bad, bad, bad. A governor and county excecutive who just yell at us. We are all doing the best we can, but because some don't buy in, we all get blasted. Yesterday, I went to PA to visit my daughter and grandson and plant flowers. It was heavenly. The sad part is that all my friends and social networks just shut down and don't communicate. I feel I have lost my quilting friends, painting friends, church friends, etc. I bought a subscription to Zoom and tried to entice others to keep in touch and show what we are doing, but few would give it a try. I am not sure why a virus should cause people to cut off communication. Fear is an ugly thing, a destroyer of what is human and good. Great to read your words.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such wise words, I want to memorize your thoughts and repeat as needed for my still fearful friends, it's past time to get back to Living.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our daughter returned from college with the virus on 3/17. My hubby and I behaved as if we were asymptomatic-not going anywhere, doing only curbside pick up of our groceries, wearing masks, etc, We thought we were in the clear with so much time passed.. Then on 5/5, my hubby got the fever and has been terribly ill. Yesterday, he actually got out of bed and ate. We had been monitoring his oxygen levels for the last week--he did not want to go to our rural hospital. Now, I wonder when I will get sick...It has been hard to be upbeat especially since my hubby has been sick. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ugh, it's really gotten me down at times but I was out and about nearly every day. It's just me here and it's lonely all the time but really lonely when you feel like you HAVE to stay in so I just didn't. I was at Walmart, Home Depot and the likes and then, on May 1, we opened up to dining in and I DID!! I've pretty much eaten out every day and a couple of weeks ago, my friend and I went on a road trip, stayed in a hotel, did a little sightseeing and then came home. I don't want a new normal, I just want normal like it was..hopefully sooner rather than later.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm at a loss for words. I'm trying hard not to give in to fear. Believing God is with us has been my salvation. I didn't realize how much I would miss going to Mass. We watch it on the NET, but it's just not the same - no community. So far we have been well - no one sick in our family here in SoCal, Vancouver, WA or Fort Collins, CO. I was reading the comments. My eyes widened as I read Tanya's words. So long between bouts!

    15 quilts - wow. I go fine for a couple of days and then I wake up with no energy to do anything.

    Saying prayers for all of us.
    Blessings,
    Angie in SoCal

    ReplyDelete
  6. I’m glad you all are doing better! I love seeing your quilts. I hope later you’ll show all of them. Hugs,

    ReplyDelete
  7. So glad that you recovered. And glad to hear that you have been quilting. I, too, am essential service and continue to work. Luckily, things have slowed down a bit, but once we can open the Courts fully, I will be extremely busy. Stay safe and healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Julie - so sorry that you got ill. Wouldn't it be nice to be tested to see if you have antibodies? We've had several friends in our area who got COVID in March, and has been such good news to learn when they are feeling better. My goodness you have been quilting up a storm! I've been sewing and quilting nearly every day, except when I decide it's time to clean house, lol. So mostly quilting! Glad to see your spirit is back, and can't wait to see your custom quilting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. In late January/early February, I was ill and it lasted about 7 days. I had a slight fever, and I lost my sense of taste (although I didn't know it was related at the time). My lungs hurt, especially the left upper lobe, but I didn't know why--I never developed a cough. I was ill for about 7 days, but only spent one day in bed sick. I did not have H1N1 influenza, because I was swab-tested. I am 60 years old. I live in a retirement community, and several of my friends had been on a Mexico/Hawaii cruise out of San Francisco. My husband felt ill and ended up in the hospital with an afib episode "brought on by a virus," but he tested negative for H1N1. I really believe, that when antibody testing becomes available, we will see that many more of us had it than we knew! Thank you for the courage to write this. I hope many of us share our stories, especially when the antibody test comes out and we know for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad that all is well with you and quilting is still an ongoing thing! I always look forward to your wonderful posts.:) I have deleted many posts myself. Some days are better than others for sure, but we are still on a bit of a roller coaster in our state--lots of uncertainty still which really gets to me. Having the family all home this last week was a definite boost and of course, the hand work gets me through most evenings. Sanity!!:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad that you feel better and that you keep up the quilting. We are lucky that we didn’t get sick even though my husband worked at a studio where there were many tourists. The tours were canceled in March and he’s been working from home ever since. Last week I had to go to have some tests done at our local hospital and they tested me for Covid. Thank goodness the result was negative.

    Thanks for sharing. Stay safe and continue to be healthy.

    Margo

    ReplyDelete
  12. I’m so glad you’re in a better -place now, Julie. It’s nice to hear from you and to see what you’ve been up to. It’s such a blessing to have a creative outlet in times like this.

    ReplyDelete


Thoughtful comments are Honey to My Heart! Thank you for taking time to leave such words. Feel free to email me directly with any specific questions at julie@pinkdoxies.com
Julie
Pink Doxie Mama