I'm not invincible

Well, turns out I'm not invincible. Not that I thought I was, but two years into our COVID world, I hadn't gotten the virus. Honestly, I can't even remember having cold-like symptoms during those two years. Most of my family had also been good and have navigated the world with nary a positive test. This hasn't been something to brag about — we, like everyone else, know many people who have had far-reaching health effects from COVID — so we've kept our good fortune largely to ourselves. But recently, I felt something late one afternoon at work. It was a sniffle that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then a dull headache. I shook it off for a few hours, but then realized I'd been in contact with people who had tested positive themselves. The symptoms slightly progressed in the evening, so I grabbed one of those COVID tests the government gave away for free. To this point, I hadn't even been tested the past two years. My only dealings with COVID were my two vaccinations and my booster, all from which I had little-to-no side effects. So I jammed the stick from the test kit into my nose, which goes down as one of the most uncomfortable things I've felt. After a few seconds, I pulled it out. "Says 15 seconds," Betsy said. Back in the nostril. Then to the other. Betsy got the test together and then placed a few drops on the instrument that determines one's COVID fate. Nervous, I walked away for a few moments to do something else. "You have COVID," Betsy unceremoniously announced. Seeing that it was 10:30, it was already a dark place, but for a short time, I shrouded in the darkness. The fear of the unknown was real, and it was a surreal moment. It was almost an out-of-body experience. I said a prayer, called some family members and decided to try and get a good night's sleep downstairs in my new room for the next few days. I was surprisingly able to sleep and felt OK the next day, still with the same symptoms, a little fatigue thrown in the mix. I made the rounds to the key people at work — I would be working from home the next few days if I was up to it. Working from home is an oddity to me. Since I came here three years ago, you can count on one hand the days I've worked from home. Pacing around the office, moving from person from person in an attempt to help solve problems is my management style. Not being holed up on my couch for eight hours clacking away at my laptop. Looking back, this was probably a good thing for me. I am thankful I didn't have it worse, although it gave me new perspective on those who battled more serious bouts with the virus. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my extreme thankfulness for my vaccines and that those I love also chose to be vaccinated. I know my path would have different had I not. I am also thankful those I was in contact with before I started my quarantine — my wife and daughter included — stayed unscathed, to my knowledge. While at home, I thought back to when I left my job in Michigan on a Friday, and in typical fashion, coached my daughter's soccer team in a tournament that weekend. On Monday, I began my new job in Ohio. I thought to the vacation time I've had spent adventuring with family, relaxing in its own way, but also busy. I thought about how a slowdown is rare for me. It's not the way I'd have chosen a slowdown, but a forced slowdown is a slowdown nonetheless. By the end of my quarantine, I couldn't wait to get back into the world, back to some normalcy. I'm thankful for many things this week, not the least of which is that I got through my bout with COVID with no more than minor symptoms. Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay; the Sandusky Register; The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin; the Norwalk Reflector; and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com