[prepress]

I'm not even sure there's a theme here. Maybe I'll have one by the time I'm done.

There have been three major upheavals in the last month. First was the tornado devastation in Nashville; I am from there, and know people who were affected by it, even in my old neighbohood. Next was Dan's sudden passing, a big shock (and as I said when I heard of it, I don't shock easily). And then on a more personal note, there was March 21.

I'd headed to the local Stop & Shop to take advantage of the exclusive shopping opportunity for those 60 and over in the early AM. I never got very far while there, as I began experiencing mild nausea followed by an overwhelming dizziness which put me flat on my back, along with excessive sweating. The store manager called EMTs and next thing I knew I was off to Brooklyn Hospital's emergency room. I thought they'd check me out and turn me loose that afternoon. Nope. I never got to do any grocery shopping, laundry, or trip to the bank.

I explained that what occurred was probably a "vagal response" episode, which I'd had before back in January. The vagus nerve runs from the brain down to the abdomen and is the longest nerve in the autonomous nervous system. When it's overstimulated, the result is what happened to me in the supermarket, and before in January while at home. They continued to take blood samples, vitals, and even tested me for COVID-19(!). I was admitted to the hopsital on 3/23. They decided that I was good to be sent home on the 28th but I had another apparent vagal episode that kept me there over the weekend. So they then decide I'm good to be released this past Monday, AND the COVID-19 results came back positive (!). I am, of course, on self-quarantine and trying to recover from the weight loss, lack of energy and shift in diet (no more hospital food for me if I can help it). Plus it's time to move beyond Cheerios, eggs and such to more regular food. Things seem to taste different so far, too.

I guess my point in throwing this together is the reminder of the importance of maintaining perspective. Don't take anything/anyone for granted, and don't let anyone do that to you. Many of us struggle more than we need to because our perspective isn't big enough. As best I can I try to have God's perspective on everything. That's been a big help. Even though I'm concerned these vagal issues could be a new normal, they too need to be kept in proper perspective and my responses proportionate.