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Date
Part 1
Well, week five of my new life. And what have I learnt? I have learnt that the passage of time is both blink of an eye and turn of a cog. That we have control of so little, yet so much. That we have strength we never knew we had, and fear that bounces through our heads at the least expected times.
I am sixty two years old, and have worked since I was seventeen. I describe my decision to step back from work, due to issues with chronic asthma and bronchitis, as the easiest and hardest decision I have ever made. A decision that I never expected to have to make, but the knowledge that what I chose was the exact and appropriate thing to do. We had formed a tight-knit community of workmates; I miss them terribly but we remain tight; thank goodness for social media and physical distancing but social bonding. I have formed more bonds with my workmates in five weeks than in five years.
And then the onslaught; hives! On my eyelids, face, scalp, soles of feet, ears...so ridiculous yet so overwhelming. The next ten days are a blur; a terror-filled trip to the doctor's, where I pictured viruses bouncing off the walls, attempts to keep them at bay seemed futile. Sleepless nights, exhaustion and tears but a determination not to give in. Baby steps again, a daily walk, a healthy regime of eating, sewing, reading, writing, anything to continue the attempt to live a positive life. Walking has increased every day; oxygen and calm time to reign in the thoughts bouncing around my head. My mother in aged care; the physical ache that comes from limited visits, limited communication and the heartbreak of physical separation.
Well, week five of my new life. And what have I learnt? I have learnt that the passage of time is both blink of an eye and turn of a cog. That we have control of so little, yet so much. That we have strength we never knew we had, and fear that bounces through our heads at the least expected times.
I am sixty two years old, and have worked since I was seventeen. I describe my decision to step back from work, due to issues with chronic asthma and bronchitis, as the easiest and hardest decision I have ever made. A decision that I never expected to have to make, but the knowledge that what I chose was the exact and appropriate thing to do. We had formed a tight-knit community of workmates; I miss them terribly but we remain tight; thank goodness for social media and physical distancing but social bonding. I have formed more bonds with my workmates in five weeks than in five years.
And then the onslaught; hives! On my eyelids, face, scalp, soles of feet, ears...so ridiculous yet so overwhelming. The next ten days are a blur; a terror-filled trip to the doctor's, where I pictured viruses bouncing off the walls, attempts to keep them at bay seemed futile. Sleepless nights, exhaustion and tears but a determination not to give in. Baby steps again, a daily walk, a healthy regime of eating, sewing, reading, writing, anything to continue the attempt to live a positive life. Walking has increased every day; oxygen and calm time to reign in the thoughts bouncing around my head. My mother in aged care; the physical ache that comes from limited visits, limited communication and the heartbreak of physical separation.