Ok, that’s admittedly one of my more click-baity blog post titles. To make up for it, here is the definitive Alli Harvey Art guide to Covid-ing. You tell me if this is the winning strategy.
- Do realize you’re coming down with something, and go for a very long walk anyway. When you picture the Sudafed balloon as your head at about mile eleven (of seventeen) and wonder if it’s normal to feel, vaguely, as though your entire being is simply a headache floating above the trail, remind yourself that even if this isn’t physical rest it is spiritual rest and will be worth it.
- Don’t lay off the alcohol that night after the hike. Even though your body is, alarmingly, not terribly hungry, ignore the signs of impending doom and order a (second) hot sake anyway. Enjoy the steamy mad rush to your sinuses and momentary heady rush that might just be the best you’ll feel for over a week to come. Add hot sauce to your ramen and find god.
- Do re-watch the TV show Succession…for, um, the fifth time. Start off exultant in remembering just how freaking amazing that show is and wish everyone you know would also be watching it, again. Sink into a depression by season 3 as Pavlov’s Bell rings at about 3pm (nearing bedtime) every day as the theme music jangles tantalizingly in your brain. When you’ve finally realized this patterning is not good for your declining mental health, switch to another show instead. Like, say, that new documentary about the Auschwitz Commandant’s son grappling with his father’s legacy.
So, in case it’s not clear – those “cold symptoms” I thought I was experiencing last week were indeed the ol’ Rona.
And what a variant it is! One star Yelp review. I was lucky to experience very “mild” symptoms which still had me down on my heels. I have noticed my first warning sign of sickness typically isn’t physical, it’s emotional. I know I’m getting sick when things that don’t typically bother me do, or when I’m having an outsized emotional reaction to something small. I attribute this to my emotional state being SO bound up with my physical state. I’ve also noticed it’s taking me a while to come out of this bout of Covid and I know that because my resiliency is not quite yet back to normal – I cry a little more easily; I react a little more strongly.
It’s okay – I see it, know it, and treat it like a physical symptom. It tells me to take it easy a little longer, not take on too much, get to bed early, opt out of stuff, turn my camera off, etc.
You know what I still managed to do though, at about day 6 (of ten) forward? I used my fleeting, still-limited morning energy to get out there to the studio and finally FINALLY finish this summer’s humongous commission! That, my friends, felt pretty amazing. Please do tell me what you think – AND, as you’ve probably heard, I am trying to find my next commission for the fall. Is it you?! Don’t be shy and definitely don’t wait – I’m all ears (and canvas, and brush, etc).
Enjoy pics of the completed commission and the process below, and take care of yourselves!!!
