It's been a rough year. Already, since ringing in the New Year, I've overcome a certain infection that is going round the world and is 'rather catchy'. Thankfully it was uneventful and I was able to stay home. Fortunately, too, I was the only one in the household to 'catch it'.
This means that since I went back to work yesterday, I've only worked four days this whole month. There is no sick leave pay or paid time off at my work. It's a little scary, but I trust and I know if I work hard the next few months it will balance out.
Right now at the hospital, about two-thirds of our beds are taken up by the infected patients. Most are mild. There's a three-way tie between never, not-up-to-date, and up-to-date patients. We are watching our resources and doing outpatient only surgery. The staff (including me!) has been hit too, there's not enough people.
They changed the way we protect ourselves in the O.R. No more negative pressure rooms as classically has been done for respiratory isolation patients. Now we have industrial fans/blowers in three separate OR's--and they are so loud you can't hear yourself think. Before I used to think my PAPR/CAPR was loud! LOL. Now by comparison it's quiet!
People are escaping things too.
Yesterday I spoke with a nurse who really was ashamed at her peers on L and D not wanting to step up to 'what they signed up for' in helping the pregnant patients who had 'the infection'. So she left for ER, and now she's not looking back. She's very happy and fulfilled and feels appreciated in her new work.
A surgeon just left Los Angeles County, Marina Del Rey. He used to live and work with his parents in the town my hospital is in, and then go there for the weekends. But the neighbors are very, um, political in a certain direction--so much so that they would turn and walk away if he said anything neutral that wasn't in complete and total agreement with their radical views. The crime was bad too. So now he is committed to a rental house near the hospital, full time. Although he is 'inoculated', he believes in freedom of choice. He really is neutral. And he's not a native from here, he's from another country.
Ross is happy and content with the information I'm sharing.
He wants me to talk about my infection.
I had been feeling tired, sleepy, and run down. For a few days, but I was able to work. I could see by the housework and laundry piling up that I thought to myself, 'I must not be feeling well'. Then a day at work with a sore throat where I drank hot water from a thermos throughout the day. Spirit had told me 'if you drink hot water every few minutes you will be fine'. I came home from work that day really 'cold'. I headed straight for the hot bath...skipped dinner and went to bed. That night I had bad muscle aches and was really hot and cold. The next morning before work I told my boss and found someone to work for me. I did a virtual visit with my doctor. I was able to be tested for both flu and the bug. Positive it was. So I isolated. Our house is big enough, and my hours were long enough, that Anthony had never been fifteen minutes with me when I was feeling symptoms.
A plate would show up for me outside my door. And when he was at school, I'd wear my N-95, do the dishes with my gloves on, and make simple meals for us both. I got sunshine, and took the medicine that starts with an 'i'. That and liquid zinc and vitamin D and vitamin C and also a grapefruit based quinine type thing.
I lost my sense of smell for one day. It came back. And I'm good now. Tired, but good. No more having to mask in the house.
Because of the infection, I had a deposition, but was able to do it by Zoom. It was very unpleasant. I was stressed to the max. It took two and one half hours in the 'hot seat'. But a friend shared her Bible study with me, bless those who persecute you. And it worked. I started focusing on the attorney who was grilling me, and sending blessings and love. That's all you can do.
One day, when your growth reaches a certain level, you will see conflicts like in the photo/art above, and realize the ones who are attacking are spiritually SICK SICK SICK. Either they believe what the government is telling them, or they are trying to save their own ass, or they are sadistic, or demon-infested...no matter what, it's SICK. It helps you gain perspective.
I don't know what the rest of the month, or the year holds. We have a huge mole/gopher problem in the back yard. One ATE my fifty dollar papaya tree! Pushed it out of the ground and ate all the leaves and stem. I am so pissed! You tube shows how to catch them. So that's on my list. The rest, I'm not so sure.
Ross is smiling and happy. His birthday is in two days. Already he let me know how he wants us to celebrate. It's a good time for us.
I keep up with the quokkas on Instagram. I follow just about every quokka site there is. And koalas too, and wombats.
Whatever works!
clap! clap!
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Peace,
Ross and Carla
The Comforters who aren't 'down' and 'feathers'.
