Five or six years ago, we took the girls to Universal Studios in Orlando. The highlight for all of us was visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you’re a fan of the movies and/or the books and you don’t know about it, the world they created at Universal is quite amazing. It is an immersive experience in every sense, literally. We loved it and enjoyed every minute of it. One of our favorite parts was the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster. It’s not the fastest or scariest coaster, but it is a real roller coaster, nonetheless. There was one point when crowds were light that we rode it something like five times in a row. I still remember how fun it was to run from the exit to the entrance to get back in the very short line.
Well, I had so much fun with COVID that I decided to go around again this past week. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t fun, and maybe I didn’t choose to do it, but I have been on the COVID roller coaster yet again. I am one of the “Paxlovid Rebound” cases you may have read about in the news. I was glad to have been prescribed Paxlovid, the Pfizer antiviral medication for treatment of COVID symptoms, with the first bout – they worked great. I felt pretty good after my first six days of illness and was back in the office with nothing but a little fatigue. I was warned by a parishioner who rebounded to be attentive to how I was feeling. As the week went on, I felt a little bit worse each day, but still able to function. Last Friday night, however, I felt terrible and by Saturday morning was testing positive and had all the symptoms back again, including fevers. The only thing to do was to quarantine again for five days and wait for my immune system to catch up. Tomorrow I’ll be back in the office again, and will mask through the weekend, at least.
The past two and a half weeks have been like a roller coaster, only without the exhilaration and the fun. Ups and downs, twists and turns, and forces outside my control. More than anything, it’s been frustrating. I didn’t have time to get sick once, let alone twice. Having COVID has been a mini manifestation of this entire pandemic in some ways, particularly as we navigate the latest wave (what is this number six or seven?) and the newest variant. It’s like we keep getting on the same terrifying, annoying ride, the kind that beats and rattles us every time we go around. At some point, it will be nice to pull back into the station, lift the safety bar and walk away from it. Alas, that day hasn’t come.
Life can be like a roller coaster in other ways, as we know. Even when we choose to take a certain path, there is no guarantee that the route will be smooth. We’ve all had those moments of chugging along and then realizing the ground is dropping away below us, as we hurtle through some low point. The real-life version of such rides is closer to the dark coasters, that travel indoors without much light, so that you can’t see the twists, turns, loops, and drops before you’re in them. Those are the rides I enjoy the least in the amusement park, for good reason.
I do like roller coasters, though, and the thrill that comes from feeling as though you’re about to fly off into space. Thank goodness the safety bars do their job, and I’ve never had to learn what it really feels like to go flying off into space! As I travel through life, I am also glad for the care and support of a loving God who keeps me grounded, and prevents me from flying off to certain peril. It’s been important to know God was close at hand throughout this annoying illness, working for healing. Even when it’s just been me and the dog alone in my room. For. So. Many. Days. I also had God with me. We tend to trust those safety bars enough that we can throw our hands up in the air on the roller coaster; letting go is even more exhilarating. Well, letting go and trusting God is equally as hard sometimes, at least for me. When I manage to do it, I’m never disappointed.
I hope I’m personally done with twists and turns with this virus. I’m well aware that there are more to come before this pandemic is over or becomes something else. Heck, the world in general keeps adding in new loops on a regular basis. I keep having to remind myself to go with the flow, and lean into whatever is pulling or pushing on me. It’s not easy to let go and trust that God’s got me, but I know that God certainly can handle whatever may come. I’m thankful for that reality, because I also know this ride will continue for some time to come. Keep your hands inside the ride at all times…and say your prayers…here we go again!
Tom+
Lord Jesus Christ, by your patience in suffering you hallowed earthly pain and gave us the example of obedience to your Father's will: Be near us in our times of weakness and pain;
sustain us by your grace, that our strength and courage may not fail; heal us according to your will; and help us always to believe that what happens to us here is of little account if you hold us in eternal life, our Lord and our God. Amen. (BCP p. 461, Adapted)
Photo Credits: Flight of the Hippogriff Coaster, Jeremy Thompson, used under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0); Paxlovid, Kches 16414, used under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 4.0).