Snow, football & Covid

Hello All,

Looks like three reasons to stay inside. Well, two good reasons and one that is not much fun. I will do the fun ones first.

Ahh, snow. Our first big snowfall in a while. I have not historically been a big snow fan. My favorite quote about snow is one from Carl Reiner, “I find snow to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” I think it also had something to do with working in hospitals, and I was always worried about people getting to work safely. Hospitals never sleep, you know. Having said that, some of my favorite memories from multiple hospitals was setting up “hotels” and the impromptu parties that also seemed to arise. I always said there was nothing like the camaraderie of snow days!

Something about yesterday’s snow felt different. Maybe because it was a Friday and started late in the evening. Maybe because I was able to watch the snow drift down through the windows behind the 10-foot Christmas tree. (Yes – we still have all of our trees still up. Our excuse is we are bringing color and joy to the neighborhood!) It made me think of the quote from R. B. O’Brien, “Snow is a beautiful reminder of life and all its quirks. It makes me pause. Think. Stay still. Even my mind takes the hint. It makes me feel giddy. Like a kid.” It was beautiful and calming – and I needed that.

And I really needed that calm before these crazy football games! They have not been calming! So far two of the three teams I was rooting for have won. (I am not telling you which ones, because no doubt my choices might not have matched your favorite teams.) I am typing this as I watch the fourth game – intermittently, and not calmly, yelling at the television! (I really do take after little mom when it comes to football.) I am usually a quarterback geek – and all of these games have awesome quarterbacks. But this weekend it has been all about the kickers! The first three games have all been won by a field goal – in the last few minutes/seconds of the game. Evan McPherson of the Bengals – Robie Gould of the 49ers – Matt Gay of the Rams. All of them have ice in their veins (Robie may actually have had ice – it was past cold in Green Bay last night!). I am especially loving Evan – the rookie who was incredibly poised and kicked the you-know-what out of that football in literally the last few seconds of the game. It was noted that before he went out on the field, he said “Ahh, it looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship game.” He then proceeded to nail that 52-yard kick! When asked about his incredible demeanor in a news conference, he stated, “It’s my job to stay cool, calm and collected.” (Actually that is a great lesson in leadership – having a vision, making it happen, and taking others with you on the journey while maintaining calm.)

Well, about Covid – I am in day 8 of isolation. I tested positive on day 5. I am blessed for a number of reasons – the scientists who developed these awesome vaccines, the pharmaceutical companies who made them, the many people who organized the vaccination clinics and administered the vaccine, everyone who has worked so hard to educate all of us about the need…..the list could be quite long! I am fully vaxxed and boosted – so mine is a breakthrough infection. I have been blessed that it has been mostly like a really crummy cold – and all of you know how much I hate having a cold! I am also blessed for two other reasons – the first being that I recognized the symptoms pretty fast (that infamous scratchy throat and laryngitis) – even before I did the at-home test – so little mom was never impacted. And second is Bob. I think he has been preparing for this. He figured out how to divide the house into two zones – he made sure we had the required masks and knew how to wear them (complete with a tutorial) – he discussed the common zones where one of us could be at a time while fully masked and then armed with Clorox wipes- and if we had to actually be near each other, there were many rules and defined passing lanes! I think he likes disaster planning. (Well, he is married to me, which means he has had plenty of disasters to be prepared for!) You will be happy to know that he is doing well thus far (I am trying not to jinx it!). My symptoms – other than tiredness – have all resolved. So I will retest on Wednesday!

Stay warm. If you haven’t gotten your shots or been boosted – do so. And get your flu vaccine too – it is not too late. Enjoy the winter – it is filled with surprises! And remember – Spring is right around the corner!

Phyl