My Time
I remember the morning I went to my gym like any normal MWF and couldn't finish the work-out. I loved my gym! It was the best little cross-fit place with a neat community of fun people. Getting to go to the gym was MY TIME!
I had been going faithfully for a few years, and even made it through all the Covid shut-downs with the help of work-out buddies and technology. I ended up getting covid like most people and recovered without any complications. But on one random day in August 2021, I finished my work-out, but couldn't recover my breathing or my heart rate for about 10 minutes! When I got home, I googled my symptoms, which very much resembled an asthma attack! Well, I'd never even experienced asthma before, and it wiped me out for the rest of the day. The one day became another and then another, and another....
To make a very long and confusing story short, I had no answers. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and now it's been a little over a year since the last time I felt like a "normal" person. The general conclusion, after lots of testing and doctor visits, was that I had "Long Covid." I went back to the gym a few times in that first month to try and see how I'd do, and I was never able to finish a normal work-out again. Eventually I just stopped going.
Having this strange condition is debilitating and has affected many parts of my life. But, one thing that I have gained, after some building up to it, is my morning walk. Taking the time to walk outside every morning and soak up nature has become essential to my day. It makes me happier, and I feel like I'm getting stronger. It takes up time, but it's MY TIME, and it's worth every minute.
This painting features the Three Sisters of the Cascade Mountain Range, in Central Oregon
8x8 mixed media on a cradled wood panel. Ready to hang in a black floater frame!
I remember the morning I went to my gym like any normal MWF and couldn't finish the work-out. I loved my gym! It was the best little cross-fit place with a neat community of fun people. Getting to go to the gym was MY TIME!
I had been going faithfully for a few years, and even made it through all the Covid shut-downs with the help of work-out buddies and technology. I ended up getting covid like most people and recovered without any complications. But on one random day in August 2021, I finished my work-out, but couldn't recover my breathing or my heart rate for about 10 minutes! When I got home, I googled my symptoms, which very much resembled an asthma attack! Well, I'd never even experienced asthma before, and it wiped me out for the rest of the day. The one day became another and then another, and another....
To make a very long and confusing story short, I had no answers. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and now it's been a little over a year since the last time I felt like a "normal" person. The general conclusion, after lots of testing and doctor visits, was that I had "Long Covid." I went back to the gym a few times in that first month to try and see how I'd do, and I was never able to finish a normal work-out again. Eventually I just stopped going.
Having this strange condition is debilitating and has affected many parts of my life. But, one thing that I have gained, after some building up to it, is my morning walk. Taking the time to walk outside every morning and soak up nature has become essential to my day. It makes me happier, and I feel like I'm getting stronger. It takes up time, but it's MY TIME, and it's worth every minute.
This painting features the Three Sisters of the Cascade Mountain Range, in Central Oregon
8x8 mixed media on a cradled wood panel. Ready to hang in a black floater frame!
I remember the morning I went to my gym like any normal MWF and couldn't finish the work-out. I loved my gym! It was the best little cross-fit place with a neat community of fun people. Getting to go to the gym was MY TIME!
I had been going faithfully for a few years, and even made it through all the Covid shut-downs with the help of work-out buddies and technology. I ended up getting covid like most people and recovered without any complications. But on one random day in August 2021, I finished my work-out, but couldn't recover my breathing or my heart rate for about 10 minutes! When I got home, I googled my symptoms, which very much resembled an asthma attack! Well, I'd never even experienced asthma before, and it wiped me out for the rest of the day. The one day became another and then another, and another....
To make a very long and confusing story short, I had no answers. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and now it's been a little over a year since the last time I felt like a "normal" person. The general conclusion, after lots of testing and doctor visits, was that I had "Long Covid." I went back to the gym a few times in that first month to try and see how I'd do, and I was never able to finish a normal work-out again. Eventually I just stopped going.
Having this strange condition is debilitating and has affected many parts of my life. But, one thing that I have gained, after some building up to it, is my morning walk. Taking the time to walk outside every morning and soak up nature has become essential to my day. It makes me happier, and I feel like I'm getting stronger. It takes up time, but it's MY TIME, and it's worth every minute.
This painting features the Three Sisters of the Cascade Mountain Range, in Central Oregon
8x8 mixed media on a cradled wood panel. Ready to hang in a black floater frame!