What a holiday. I know other people have had busts of family get-togethers, but this one was MY worst. And I could say it was all my fault. Or it was Covid’s fault. Or it was all of us being so relaxed about Covid that we didn’t even want to think that any of us could have Covid – because we wanted to be together and we wanted that cough to just be a cold – like in the old days. So we proceeded with our plans, will-nilly.
To make a long story short, my vaccinated and boosted three-person family gave Covid to my 37-year-old son, his lovely wife, and his two adorable daughters. They were all perfectly happy and healthy when they drove more than four hours across the state to spend a night at a farmhouse AIR B&B (with us) so we could spend some quality time with my special brother who lives nearby in a Griswold nursing home.
The three of us weren’t feeling so well, but we figured it was just a cold, so we did not test. All of our plans went forward, but by Sunday morning my 37-year-old son was really sick, and then on Monday his three-year-old got feverish and by Monday evening, the whole little family was ill. We, the three original sickies, got tested on Monday morning, after all of the damage was done, and sure enough – we each tested positive! Eeks! What schmucks!!
Ice-cream makes Charly happy.
I also had to call the nursing home and tell them about our situation. Bonus fun. But, the good news is that so far my brother in the nursing home is Covid-free. And the family is on the mend – even though a week of school and work will be missed. We are still getting better and we just feel like total losers.
I’ve been told to erase my guilt with a pencil eraser. Another friend said everyone is in easing up on precautions. There are folks who aren’t vaccinated and don’t ever worry. There were no restrictions at the nursing home. As I look at it now, at least I can say, so far, that no one is in the hospital. Is that because this variant spreads easily but is not as serious? I hope so. I am not so smart. I make mistakes. I am humbled, and I hope that I will do better the next time. And maybe I should just not plan any more family get-togethers! Much safer.
But my friend with the pencil eraser theory differs: “It’s fine to take precautions and consider the community good (safety), but at some point one has to create community.” It had been forever since my brother had seen his nieces and nephews. He had NEVER met the 3 1/2 year old little Leda. And her 7-year-old sister Joanie was a baby the last time he saw her. It (our special weekend) was supposed to be all about Charly. So, I put my blinders on to all of the warnings, and forged on, so that Charly could have family time with all of us, a special time that had been planned for so long.
Moving forward, I will do better. I will test before gatherings. Thanks for listening to this less-than-inspiring confession and exit interview from my Thanksgiving holiday. How was your Thanksgiving?
Walking in France from Le Puy en Velay 