That Dragon Named Covid

 I have been blessed with an exceptionally strong immune system. Decades of teaching little kids, Grandparenting, for the last 7 years on a hands on basis,have left me virtually unscathed by illness. A slight  inkling of some bug was quickly quelled by my body's alert defense system. I credit this defense system to an experimental procedure I participated in 1981, with my college friend who was suffering from Hodgkin's Disease and needed a lymphocyte infusion from a matching donor. Luckily I was a match and a dialysis machine at Sloan Kettering Hospital separated my gift cells and donated them to Carol while we both prayed that she would be cured. The Universe had other plans for my friend but, henceforth I was gifted with the Superwoman of immune systems for which I am most grateful.

Last year, when the dragon named Covid was relentlessly stalking the area of Long Island where I live, being at an age that was deemed at risk, I carefully avoided contact with the outside world. I drove to my family's home where everyone was obeying the quarantine rules to babysit for my Granddaughter but did not go anywhere from March to December of 2020. My sweet neighbor Kim, went grocery shopping for me, my church job as organist was curtailed and relegated to zoomed recordings of music made at my son's recording studio in his home. I skipped Thanksgiving dinner out of extreme caution because family members I had not been exposed to were coming. 

The first week in December I ventured out once to the grocery store and went to an outdoor market to buy a live Christmas Tree. Apparently the Dragon was watching and preyed on my mistakes. Soon after the hallmarks of Covid showed up. My family keep reassuring me that this could not be as I was the most vigilant of all of us in attempting to protect all of us from harm but after a bleak day of spending 3 hours standing in line freezing outside the local walk in clinic in a snowstorm I got the positive Covid19 diagnosis. I attribute my trusty defense system for saving me from the ravages of the disease that others suffered.

The Dragon's bite has left some scars however. My memory is occasionally foggy and the signs of sciatica flare up leaving me to have to fight against the lingering mental fears of what this maleficent visitation by the Dragon might have sown.