I turn 74 this month. I'll take and tell you, what Ginnie and I went through with COVID 19, I could see the end, and it wasn't pretty. It made me realize that life is so fragile—one little hiccup and you're on your back, not knowing if you'll recover or not. COVID, or a substrain of it is on the rise. My doctor tells me everybody will eventually get COVID, it's the severity that varies.
Feeling like death warmed over, my doctor also told me my symptoms were in the “mild-to-moderate” range. Holy cow! I can't imagine what “severe” is like—in the hospital, intubated and fighting for life? I felt like I was fighting for life the way it was. I've never ever been so sick. But at least the doctor was letting me know that I didn't really have it all that bad, and it was just a matter of toughing it out. I needed to know that.
Being that sick made me aware of my mortality, and realize that my life's work is not done. What do I want my life's legacy to be? Well, I want this book I've been working on, “Task Force IED,” to get published. I would hate for something to derail it and the book not get out there. I better keep plugging away.
Do you know what you want your legacy to be? If you bought it today, would your life's work be done? Are you ready to meet your Maker? How do you want to be remembered?
I swallowed my pride and put it out on social media that we needed prayers. The response was overwhelming. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers.
A friend of mine asked if I'd be open to Reiki (pronounced “Rake-ee”) Healing. When someone offers free healing, accept it! Reiki is an old Japanese alternative medicine that involves manipulating spiritual, emotional, and physical energies. (She also does Reiki on animals.) I was to lay back, listen to a You Tube tape of soothing music, verbalize that I am open to healing, and then let her do the work—over the phone. Ginnie partook also. The procedure took half an hour. 15 minutes into it, I felt the skin across the bridge of my nose tighten, then my nasal passages open up. I also noticed the sick feeling in my gut was gone.
During “debriefing” the Reiki Healer told me that she could feel the heat in my upper body, and the pain in my chest, legs and feet. I did feel better and more relaxed. If I'm open to people praying for me, I'm open to Reiki.
I lost weight while sick, mainly because I didn't eat much. Nothing tasted good, like my morning coffee. Even just a little bit of food made me feel full. I slipped below my goal weight of 180 lbs with ease, all without exercising. I'm sure I'll gain it back, but one little perk to being so sick is weight loss. Tough way to do it, but no one's said, “You look like skin-and-bones yet.” (Except Ginnie.)
Ginnie, trying to get me to eat, cooked up a storm. (She wasn't quite as sick.) There were chocolate-chip cookies (loaded), grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, meatloaf, homemade chicken and noodles, Mom's staple: macaroni and tomatoes (not goulash), egg casserole (eggs from our neighbors' chickens), summer-strawberry dessert, and my all-time favorite—sloppy Joes. (I call'm Joppy Sloes.) Man-oh-man. It's a miracle I lost weight! I'm spoiled, I know.
For my birthday we're going to go horseback riding in Shimek State Forest. When we were in Wyoming, we did some horseback riding. Ginnie really likes it, so let's give it a try here in Iowa. Being old people, we require well-broke in, gentle horses that know the trail and follow the leader. Maybe some horse sense will work its way up. Learning to move my hips in rhythm with the horse, is like going along with the ebb-and-flow of life. Sorta.
Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, find him on Facebook, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com, or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com.
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