I was feeling crummy a little over a week ago, and I took one of the Covid home tests we have in a closet. It indicated a negative, but my older daughter offered to drive me to the local City Med site to be examined. I relented and drove, but she stayed in the car. 

The test they gave me there also indicated negative, but that night I took Tylenol before I went to sleep. Sweated profusely.

The next day, I took another home test, and this time it read Positive. I finally caught Covid, even with my vaccinations and two boosters. 

I wasn't surprised, but it's not the kind of milestone you embrace. Fortunately, we live in a home with multiple bedrooms, and for the most part, I holed up in one. Laptop for work and entertainment, tray and designated eating utensils for meals, and more than one tissue box.

And I didn't drive for a few days; that was one of the bigger changes in my routine.

I was still able to teach my online course on Monday, still able to speak with one administrator, and we figured out courses I'll be teaching in the spring, still able to write articles for three websites (aside from here).

For the most part, after the 1 1/2 days of mild fever, Covid has presented as a sinus cold for me. Stuffed nose, clogged ears, intermittent cough. And it's cramped my schedule.

I'm not happy about getting it, and I have been more tired (also, I've been drinking less coffee and more tea, so yeah, more tired). I've had some vivid dreams and naps. 

But I'm grateful for having gotten vaccinations and boosters (and ironically, I'd gotten the flu shot a few weeks ago and felt good about that). Covid has wreaked havoc on way too many people. I did think of the three people whom I'd known who died early on of Covid. I spoke about them with my older daughter when I finally did drive the car with her (we both drove masked, car windows down, and didn't sit beside each other). 

It's kind of a weird feeling to say, "I finally caught Covid." Most people I know have gotten it already, and several more than once. One friend of mine who gets tested constantly (and paid for it; he's an actor and gets tested on sets) told me he'd not gotten it. I also recall a few overconfident people telling me previously that I'd probably gotten it before but didn't realize it. I highly doubt it; I've taken many tests since the early part of the Pandemic.

My experience with this has been annoying but "take it in stride" mode. I realize that it has killed many people, including many people who downplayed its awfulness. Some people who contracted Covid have long-term problems linked to the illness. I'm certainly grateful for having a mild case. I transitioned from one statistical group to another by catching Covid.