Well, hello, COVID.

After all the care, caution and staying in, Omicron finally caught us from no idea where.

After all the fear of catching this virus, considering my Inflammasome gene and my chronic health issue, I’m happy to report that I breezed through it!

COVID, for me, was a cold. I started with an Asthma type response in the chest, but I truly believed at the time that it was an allergic response to all the sanitiser I was using.

Theo and I were homebound from Easter Saturday when Theo tested positive. I tested positive days later on Tuesday, which is strange considering our home is open plan living, and it’s hard for us to isolate.

We stayed masked in the home and slept separately regardless knowing it would be unavoidable for the other if one of us caught COVID.

The worst part of having COVID was shutting the gallery during the Easter long weekend.

Gulp.

As if we haven’t lost enough income over the last 15 years.

But I spoke to myself,

‘Soula, you’ve been through worse. You sat still for years, watching life stride past you. You closed your business several times in the seesaw process of having treatment and restarting your business only to figure out treatment wasn’t long-lasting before shutting the business again – you did this several times.’

I continued with myself; it was a long chat!

‘Soula, life had a repulsive force controlling your life for years. Having COVID and temporarily closing your business doors now is a process of managing life – a good thing. You are in an active state, not a passive one.’

This clarity gives me courage and perspective, and I have always carried it. For not this philosophy, I would have broken down to a ball of nothing and given in to chronic pain (and the WorkSafe hell!) life dished out.

This philosophy of don’t panic, I believe, is something my Dad gifted me. Thankfully I looked to my Dad and not Mum, who carries hysteria and Greek drama at the drop of life’s events (positive or negative!).

Dad always remained calm, and I never saw him panic or doubt that he could work through any unfortunate situation.
There was always a way.

So, returning to our COVID experience, I am happy to report that Theo and I are fully recovering. Theo got the awful tiredness and slept for days. I was abundant with the usual energy that comes to me without social obligation. In addition, the pain levels fell away as they have done with previous colds – can the brain not manage two signals or is a virus some distraction?

I went with it. I got stuck into my studio!

(Below: A painting that has been in progress for over six months)
Soula Mantalvanos Hour glass wip on the easel

I stopped the sanitiser and removed my mask (given we were both positive there was no point for these), and my response to COVID became that of a cold. I sneezed and sneezed – that’s the worst I can report.

I’m in ISO until Tuesday, and Theo is thankfully back in the gallery for what is another long weekend – Anzac Day. It’s Greek Easter this weekend, but I’ve missed a few of these over the past 15 years; what’s one more lost!

My COVID response gives me courage that this bod is not all broken and that it still knows how to heal and power itself.

I’m also very confident in my drive for finding alternative treatments and feel certain my supplements, and recent DNA investigations aided me through COVID’s awful effects – Curcuthera is one supplement, and my China Med Blood Moving 2 formula of herbs is the other; they have always been my backbone for combating fatigue.

Oh yes, and lots of self natter!

PS Note to self: Update my Journey timeline in My Health Story – COVID is a crucial historical health event.