COVID II

This is Scuppers, our cat, doing his best imitation of how I am handling the threat of COVID.

Today, I received the results of my fourth COVID test, and the results came back positive; positive that I have a diagnosis of Munchausen. There are no viral COVID beasties taking purchase inside me, no matter what I have led myself to believe.

Over the past week I have coughed, had chest pain, sore muscles, pain in my throat, brain fog and fatigue. I have been certain that my husband has shared his COVID with me, and have been diligently monitoring my temperature, checking my ability to taste, taking it easy and living in quarantine. I have been so certain in fact, that I have manifested all the symptoms that I have read about, but to no avail. I am COVID free. My whole family is.

So today, to keep the crazies at bay and to whip my body back into submission, Oakley, my husband and I climbed Mount Osceola. A majestic 4,000 foot peak that demands good health to reach its summit.

It was a beautiful, blueberry of a day. The sky pulling us into the depth of its blueness, the snow burning our eyes with its brightness, and the birch trees showing off their red tipped branches that come only when the promise of spring is close.

We took long deep droughts of air, kicking our micro-spikes into the steep, icy trail again and again; our ski poles flailing, knees screaming, as we tried to gain purchase on the mountain. We must have sweat out every last toxin that our bodies have ever harbored. My shirt was soaked through and my bangs were stuck upright into a salty-frozen wave.

When we reached the top, we feasted on Oreos, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, clementines and chips; relishing the taste of them all. After a short, although acute, appreciation of the fantastic view, down we went.

It was so steep on the way down that it felt more like a prolonged fall than a hike; our toes compressing into the front of out boots, our leg bones percussing in our knee joints, and our brains thumping against our skulls. By the time we reached the bottom, we more than welcomed the idea of sitting still again, of being warm and comfortable and safe. The crazies, and COVID are behind us for now.