There is a phrase that comes over the P.A. system at our residence following a fire drill – “Return to Normal Duties.” Well I’m contemplating this phrase very seriously these days. It’s not because of a fire drill, but because I’ve been frozen in time with a vicious viral infection.
St. Paul once said, “We have here no lasting city but look for one that is to come.” I’ve thought about that too, tossing, turning, trying to free myself from the prone position. Yes, I’m down and out and the nursing staff are amiably on hand with prescribed medication, advice and an assessing eye.
My symptoms are sea legs, watery eyes, headache, poor concentration and loss of cognitive skills. The power of prayer flashes through my dreary mind and the rhyming rhythm of the beautiful psalms pass like a thief in the night. Thank goodness I still have a few perks:
- Pressing a button to listen to the weather on C.B.C.
- Limping out of bed to my easy chair
- Getting myself next door at 7:05 a.m. for roaring hot coffee
- Reading the sticker on the banana, “You and Me Healthy Communities”
- Answering the nursing staff with, “I feel like a limp noodle.”
The medical team has finally declared that I am a free agent after these days of togetherness. But, the question still looms on the horizon: How will I “Resume Normal Duties?”
Eileen Foran, CSJ