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Sarah Says 6-22-22
Sarah Lawson

I always believed that fate was a real thing, but the past couple weeks have really tested my trust in fate.

Now that COVID has been a thing for over two years, I thought I was really lucky to not have caught the ‘rona during that whole time. All of my friends got it at least once if not twice; some of my family members, and co-workers in past jobs all have tested positive. I constantly would ‘knock on wood’ about being the only one to not get it yet and my friends and I would always talk about how it was my turn, even though we hoped that I would just be that one lucky one.

Skip ahead to a couple weeks ago, I was counting down the days until I was leaving for my Nashville trip for a week, flying the once-in-a-lifetime first-class experience, and then everything began to fall apart.

It all started a week and a half before I was set to depart, I had some plans to attend an outside concert and some farmers markets, both events being outside, and after the weekend of festivities, I got a slight sore throat. The next day it got worse, the day after that I became really congested and feeling really wiped out, no fever though, thank God. I took an at home test just to be safe since I did not want to miss any work, and it was negative, two days later I took another one because I had this really bad feeling and behold, those two tiny blue lines of fear came up quicker than I could say, “Oh my God.”

I called my aunt that I live with and told her that it came back positive and she turned around and came back home as I called my doctor’s office.

I started to get really scared and freaked out because again I lasted this long to not ever test positive and a week before I was to leave, I not only get sick, but test positive.

My doctor said that the new CDC guidelines tell you to quarantine for 10 days and as long as you are not sick anymore, you can be released. My trip was 11 days away.

After many, many calls to my mom she helped me push past the emotions of disappointment and choose the responsible decision to cancel the trip and request for a refund.

Canceling was not the choice that I wanted to make but, in the end, even if I felt better, I did not want to be up in the air where the pressure is worse, freshly getting over a horrible congestion.

With help from family and friends who did porch drop offs of vitamins and supplies, and a very thoughtful drop off from my friend from my Bible study group, I began the quarantine in my room adventure.

The only thing that got me through the days was the constant phone calls with my mom, and binge-watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Also, the facetime calls here and there with my people in the office whom I missed dearly.

I eventually began to start feeling a lot better with about four days until I could be released, and all I wanted to do was go back to work and see everyone who I missed so much.

The day I got to go back was the best day of my life, just walking in and seeing them almost made me cry, they don’t know that little detail though.

I feel like I got so emotional coming back because my office is more than just an office to me, they are another family that I can lean on and go to in times of trouble.

I feel so supported and accepted here and I constantly learn more and more every day that I walk in, and I cannot wait to see where this path takes me.

Even though my Nashville trip was cancelled, and I tested positive for the first time, I will not let that bring me down.

I will forever wonder if fate and life chose this to happen for a reason, or if they just had it out for me; I will never know.

I am just glad my case was not as bad as others, and I am back to work safe through it all.

The train of life continues to move without stopping, but I am sitting in the field of flowers feeling the warm glow of the sunset against my face watching the train go by.

 

Sarah Lawson is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News; she can be reached at slawson@oakdaleleader.com.