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Enough already!
 As if the horror shows in the Middle East, GOP House, and TrumpMania weren’t enough to make us all want to climb into bed and pull the covers over our heads, we now have COVID endemic in Portland.
I’ve staved it off for three+ years (vaxxed to the max), but two weeks ago, my immune system took a nap and I woke up with a bleary head and the dreaded red line on the test strip. (Test-Takers Tip: you don't need to wait 15 minutes: if you're positive that sucker pops up while you blink.)
The worst of it has been cancelling so many plans. Clients can be rescheduled, but other events I had to miss won’t be repeated.
Inertia follows.
 The second worst of it is the desire to do nothing, beyond sitting or lying on the couch. This is anathema to my Calvinist core: in my book, slothfulness is one of the seven deadly sins.
I mustered the oomph to make my bed fresh with cozy flannel sheets from the cupboard. Then, next to the sheets I spied my ancient bag of knitting supplies. Once upon a loooong time ago, I was a proficient knitter, but it’s been decades. Since I can’t go out till I test negative, maybe I could knit something? Yarn quantity matched energy quantity—not enough in any given color to make more than a hat.
A hat! I could make a simple hat. I found a free pattern on Ravelry.com —“The One-Day Hat.”
But--here’s where my brain is at:
Day 1: I look at the yarn. I look at the pattern. I organize my needles by size, then by color. I extricate the correct needles.
Day 2: Cast on 88 stitches. How the hell do you cast on? Mind freezes. After several false starts, body memory kicks in. I cast on 88 stitches (I think). I count: 85. Count again: 87. Once more: 86. I add two more. I don’t trust my counting.
Day 3: I count twice more and get 88 both times. I can start! Knit 2, purl 2 until ribbing measures 3”. Wait: I used to knit European style, with the yarn in the left hand? But how? I watch a knitting video on YouTube. Oh yes. But damn, it’s awkward. My left hand has forgotten how to keep the tension just so. I try it for half a round, then my hand cramps.
Day 4: I knit three rows of ribbing in fits and starts. At this rate my hat will take years. I flash back to Brownie Scouts, when we made blankets for wounded WWII soldiers. Each girl knit a 4-inch knit square and the troop leader sewed them together. My square was so misshapen and holey she rejected it. That hurt.
My daughter sends me an article about rest.
“What Does It Mean To Really, Truly Rest?” I read: “Brain activity is some of our most energetically demanding work…So if you’re thinking very hard, you are definitely working.” It suggests you really, truly stop trying to get shit done. Listen to your body and if it says, ‘I’m tired,’ believe it and STOP. It’s ok to be bored out of your gourd. It’s ok to binge-watch ancient episodes of Seinfeld.
I’m binge-listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’s podcast, Wiser than Me, a series of delightful interviews with some amazing older women. And maybe I’ll knit another row or two.
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FYI: COVID is everywhere. I recently learned that you’re contagious 48 hours before symptoms appear (and some folks never have symptoms), so update your vaccine and mask when you’re in a group. I’m grateful my symptoms are mild. Stay well, people.
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