A little hiccup in the first half of October

September was not an easy month. Most of those weeks, Rich was recovering from surgery. I also had to power through four straight weeks of 6-day workweeks doing job fairs, and take an overnight trip for work. We also had a few other things- like a goodbye lunch with Ryan's longtime friend, Sei, and a couple of taiko performances, etc.

But we had nooooo idea that the first two weeks of October was going to make September look lite and breezy...as:

1. I got COVID on 10/1. The first two days I had a low grade fever, body aches...the second two days, I had a cough. On day 5 I thought I was fully recovered, and headed off to the office (behind a locked door, and fully masked, of course). But a few hours into it, I found out that I had definitely NOT recovered, when I nearly passed out midday. So for the next week, I had brain fogginess, lethargy and zero sense of taste or smell. Needless to say, I did very little other than lay in bed all day working on my laptop, rallying only to go to job fairs/work. COVID was not terrible, but it was also frustratingly long and highly annoying. Definitely not recommended. One upside? Rich and Ryan never got it (we all isolated immediately).
2. On the same day I tested positive for COVID, my right eyelid swelled up with fluid. I looked like a freak of nature, and my RN husband correctly diagnosed me as having a blocked tear duct. I tried to treat it around the clock, but had it for about 48 hours. I could not believe the timing! (One of bosses jokingly suggested I wear an eye patch along with my mask when I returned to work!!! So that you know, you'd only see my left eye!)
3. One of my dearest, longtime BFFs, Ree, lost her father in the middle of my COVID isolation. It broke my heart to not physically be there for her and her family (she lives here part time and is only a mile away, but it may as well has been 1,000 miles).
4. One of my other dearest BFFs, KT, lost her brother and her dear companion. To have both friends suffer such losses at the same time felt terrible.
5. My father drove himself to the ER and was diagnosed with pneumonia and bronchitis...which my mother was also suffering from (at least the bronchitis part). Fortunately, both are slowly healing...but again, I could not visit them.
6. A family member lost their job...and is the household's primary provider. They have never had something like this happen to them, so that just sucked tremendously. Shock. Disappointment. Future anxiety. Few things are scarier than the thought of not being gainfully employed.
7. In my tiny office of three...I had COVID, the second person was nearly hospitalized from the pain of possible E.coli, and the third person had a terrible flu/cold...AND...another coworker of ours, JM, is suffering terribly from cancer. I haven't known him terribly long...a year and a half? But oh boy- is he special and unforgettable. I'm visiting him in hospice tomorrow to say goodbye. He's way too young to pass, and way too special.
8. My dear coworker, is suffering from the final stages of cancer. He was the brightest light that ever did shine on our restaurants, and he's in hospice. He deserves to be on this planet longer and this just breaks my heart.

 Here are a few pics of my September and October:

We bid a sad adieu to Ryan's BFF of a decade, as he's off to private school on another island!

At the final weekend of job fairs with our newest 'employee' and recruiter! This person had to accompany me since I wasn't feeling so hot for awhile...

Trying on the new 'off limits' merch arriving to the office each week with my newest homie, our Corporate Chef, Brad!

Donning even more company merch not yet on the shelves that we aren't supposed to touch yet (I don't follow directions very well). Haha. Call me a company girl...but I love our merch/gear!

Ryan and his team performed at the Grand Reopening celebration of a local park...sadly, I could not attend this event as I was in Waikoloa at a job fair.

This picture is actually from the month prior when the team performed in the Mauna Lani resort area...but I love this picture!

So we're halfway through October and honestly, most of it was blurry and Covidy, so I'm thrilled to finally be on the other side of it (taste/smell returned, energy coming back). Went on my first short run in over 2 weeks this AM with my friend Ragni, and my first social event (my niece's birthday party). My nephew Riki flew in for his birthday weekend, and my brother Joey flies in tomorrow for a quick visit. Oh, and we hope to celebrate my mom's belated 72nd trip around the sun while everyone is back in town since we had to delay it due to her illness. We also booked tickets for an international trip later this year we hope to take.

Life is returning to normal for some of us, but certainly not for all of us. Ree and KT have huge holes in their hearts, and my dear coworker JM will soon leave many more holes behind in our hearts as well. Just a reminder that life is meant to be lived while you're healthy/alive, and to not let fear/illness stop you from doing so.

Happy Halfway through October, and I hope the second half goes a lot more smoothly...