Featured Refresh
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What did you most enjoy doing this week?
This week I went to a "Getaway" cabin in Virginia. It was lovely. Just a small cabin with a bed, toilet and tiny kitchenette. I went with two writer friends, and we each had our own cabin so we didn't have to worry about anything covid-related. We hiked together, and then at night built a fire. It was really cold, in the 30s, and the fire felt very healing. Very primal. We toasted marshmallows and chatted late into the night. It was wonderful to be out in nature, breathing clean air. I felt very lucky. Very refreshed. Very fortunate to have good friends in good health. After so much negativity and worry about variants etc. it was lovely to be able to go away for three whole days and NOT THINK ABOUT COVID. Some day it won't be on our minds.
December 21, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I get seasonal allergies every spring: juniper and elm. Sneezing, coughing, itchiness -- it's awful. Last spring I got the usual symptoms, but mixed in was this fear that perhaps it was not just a cold, not just hay fever, but ... [scary music] ... the Coronavirus! Aaaaah! Of all the symptoms that indicated you'd caught Covid-19, the one I fixated on was the loss of smell and taste. I put a container of strongly scented vanilla hand lotion next to my bed. If I woke up and felt particularly anxious that perhaps I had been exposed to Covid-19, I would open the container and take a cautious sniff. I have a small collection of perfume, too, but since I was working from home, I didn't always put any on. The levels in the bottles stayed the same for months.
April 6, 2023