2 Years 2 Months Update: Living in a Strange World Now

In this Update:

• Life in Isolation
• Running Again!
• Happy Birthday - Pandemic Style

Life in Isolation
Even though Florida started their phase 1 of re-opening the state, Ralf and I decided to stay put. In fact, the virus is still out there and with people returning to their “normal” life activities, the spread of COVID-19 will continue to increase (in my humble opinion). Especially Ralf can’t risk getting sick, and it is already pretty nerve-wracking that I am his number one risk factor. When I go to the store (every 10 days or so), I make sure to wear my mask and stick to a “disinfection routine” to minimize the risk.

I can attest that the mandated isolation and restrictions were actually working in reducing the cases of COVID-19 significantly. In our ED, we still isolated and treated patients with certain symptoms “as-if”, but the actual cases of infected patients has gotten less and less. Still, I have maintained my decontamination routine at home by taking off all my clothes in the garage, showering in the guest bathroom, and washing all contaminated items separately. I do feel a little less anxious right now, though, given the reduced numbers of COVID patients (for now…). I am afraid of another wave coming our way as the restrictions are loosened ... Time will tell!

With that being said, being isolated from the world takes a toll on mental health and restricts what we can do in many ways. I admit that I actually mourn the loss of a world that will never be the same after this. It is hard to adjust to this new reality, and it saddens me that even simple tasks like going to the grocery store provoke anxiety and cause stress for me. I am also so sad that we wont’ be able to celebrate our wedding at the Wallaby Ranch in October as we had initially planned, nor do I know if I get to spend Christmas with my family this year. So Ralf and I have been trying to get some dear “outdoor-time”, which isn’t easy when State Parks and State Forests are actually closed…

Running Again!
I am happy to report that I finally started running again! I ran/walked two miles, which may have been a little ambitious since my poor thigh muscles were on fire the next day. However, my back was not complaining at all, which is a victory…

We also continued our garage workouts, but I admit that my motivation level hasn’t been very high lately…

I hope that by the end of June, things will get a bit more structured when my work schedule finally changes to bankers hours: yes, I finally got a start date for my new position! June 22nd is my first day as Simulation Coordinator!

Happy Birthday - Pandemic Style
May 26th happened to be my birthday, and since going out wasn’t an option, Ralf decided to pick up a three-course dinner from Nona Blue! Yes, restrictions have been partially lifted, and many restaurants offered limited dine-in options, but as I said earlier, we are not taking any chances… In any case, we dressed up, put some music on, and had a wonderful dinner at “la casa”!

Next month will bring Ralf’s official post-op follow up with Moffitt, and I will start my new job on June 22nd… Let’s see how it goes!