There is nothing quite like getting the Sars-Cov-2 virus (COVID-19) during an election and its aftermath. There’s just a whole lot of yuck all around. The good news is it’s also Christmas movie binge season on the Hallmark Channel, so we can be as escapist as we desire.

I actually haven’t yet watched a Hallmark Christmas movie yet, but the thought has crossed my mind. I’m more of a binge-reader than a binge-watcher, but it’s still all pretty similar plot lines with contemporary royals-meet-Cinderella/billionaire romance kinds of story lines. So escapist. Sugar. Candy romance, that’s what I call it. Sweet, clean escapism. It beats the mud-slinging going on in the media, and online. I’m so done with all of that. I’ve started snoozing FB friends who can’t speak online without using incendiary language, because I love them, and I want to keep them as friends, but I just don’t have the energy to deal with that kind of crud right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure trolls are supposed to hibernate in the winter. 😉

Hibernate your inner troll, people!

Life-threatening disease changes you when it comes through your front door. Whether it’s cancer, or COVID, or a disease that’s not in the news right now. Suddenly, you want to not only save yourself, but you want to reach out and help save other people from going through what you are. And that’s a hard thing, because most people don’t want you to save them. They figure they’re doing well enough without your interference. Or the flip side, in which other people want you to do all the hard work of saving them without owning their personal responsibilities. Both are difficult, and both situations have great potential for judgementalism and conflict. Those are hard to resist. I have to remind myself that, “with what measure you mete, so also shall you be measured,” and then try to offer more gentle thoughts.

Anyway, Mr. Hot Stuff’s mom, aka Grandmama, has COVID, and I’m fairly certain I do, too, though I’m not suffering to the same extent that she is. Mr. Hot Stuff, so far, remains unaffected.

Grandmama has been really sick for a couple of weeks now, and the disease seems to keep morphing from one set of symptomology to another. For her, it’s been truly dreadful, and her struggle has been very real. I’m grateful that she already has an oxygen concentrator and that we’ve been able to adjust it to meet her needs.

As far as my symptomology goes, I’ve had a sore throat, though not the worst sore throat ever. And I have a cough, though not the worst cough I’ve ever had, with occasional burning/tightness in my lungs. While it’s uncomfortable, it hasn’t prevented me from going up and down stairs to help Grandmama. Thank heaven.

Grandmama has to be very careful with any medicine or supplements, so she works closely with her doctor and doesn’t fiddle within anything “extra” in the way I do. The doctor has been taking good care of her according to the accepted COVID protocols, and it seems to be helping her, in addition to everyone’s thoughtful prayers. Thank you for that.

I have physically been through the wringer since the surgeon declared me “recovered” from surgery, and so I’ve been working closely with my functional medicine doctor on things to help me rebuild my body’s ability to deal with stress and disease. It’s involved a bunch of supplements and attention to diet, including organic foods and fewer grains. I would hate it, but I have actually been feeling a lot better, so that seems like an ungrateful attitude to have. I still hope I don’t have to eat this exact way forever, though. I MISS BREAD.

Anyway, now I find myself with probable COVID (waiting for test results) and in addition to “eating clean” and taking the prescribed supplements, I’m taking a boatload of vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin K, and did I mention a boatload of vitamin C?

Also, I’m taking a homeopathic remedy that seems to be helping quite a bit. I will tell you if you email me about it, or you can do a search on Duck Duck Go for homeopathics for COVID. There are several good options out there, but I only recommend that you do this if you have some training in how homeopathic medicine works, or a homeopathic doctor who understands it. A lot of people assume they know, or think that the people at the natural food store always know what they are talking about, and that does not always work out so well.

The other thing that I’ve gone back to are binaural beats for healing the lungs or reducing inflammation. It may be completely placebo, but even so, it’s a great thing for me. I’m so grateful for the people who produce the recordings and put them up on YouTube. I will say that there have been some complaints about ads being inserted into the middle of the recordings, but my workaround for that has been to pay for a subscription. It’s been worth every penny to me, since it means I get some good sleep at night. Good Vibes puts out some of my favorites. I have found I personally sleep better with a long playlist that has a bunch of different tracks of around an hour each, rather than one long track that’s 7-10 hours long. For some reason my brain is happier with that.

My binge-reading list this past month or two has included:

• ALL of the books by Brooke St. James (Christian romance) – wow, that was a lot!
• A bunch of books by Shanna Hatfield – gotta love the cowboys!
• A bunch of books by Jo Noelle
• Several by Amelia C. Adams
• Currently re-reading the Maya Davis series by Erynn Mangum, because I love to laugh!

That last, the Maya Davis series, makes me laugh out loud so much! I made the mistake of reading while I ate lunch today and choked on my salad. Let me just say, this house is under COVID quarantine. Do not come in here right now. I am trying to clean surfaces, but I just don’t have full control when I choke on my salad because I’m laughing so hard. (I know, that’s gross.)

Stay healthy, stay kind, enjoy your holiday season, even if traditions this year have to be altered, and remember:

Love one another.