Earlier today, I yelled downstairs to my husband, “I can smell the black bean soup up here.” To which he replied, “Ohhh, cool.” The ability to smell the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen may not seem like a big deal, and a month ago, it wasn’t.

Okay, so this whole COVID-19 pandemic thing is real. Prayerfully, you won’t get it, and hopefully, you’re not one of those people who refuses to follow the CDC safety recommendations. I NEVER expected or wanted to see a positive COVID-19 result on my life resume. Know what I mean? As a matter of fact, I questioned the validity of my test results until Saturday, January 16th, at around 1:30 pm. Let me back up a little.

My husband and I received our positive results on Tuesday morning, January 12th. I was shocked for a split second, then I asked myself, “Why not me (us)?” Yes, we’re cautious, stay home (as much as possible) and away from folks, cook at home, have groceries delivered (wipe down items), etc.

The truth is, we have a good idea of what led to our bout with COVID-19 through contact tracing, but that’s not the topic of this blog.

Now back to Saturday, January 16th.

Yeah, so I thought I was asymptomatic because the only reason why I knew I had COVID-19 was because Kaiser told me I did via email. Either asymptomatic, or they sent me someone else’s results by mistake. I didn’t have a fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, chest pains, fatigue, etc. I exercised (at home) as usual and everything else. UNTIL Saturday, January 16th, at around 1:30 pm.

I had just eaten lunch, which I tasted and smelled, by the way. I decided to have a Cara Cara orange for a snack. That orange looked like it had a lot of flavor. I bit into it after peeling it and tasted nothing. Zilch! Nada! I was like,

That orange was void of all citrus goodness! I got up from the table, stood over our diffuser with lemon oil in it, and inhaled as hard as possible. Nothing!! I sniffed eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil. I could feel the stimulating sensation of the oils but couldn’t smell a thing.

And that’s when I said, “Okay, Lord. I’m still trusting You, completely no matter what.” I said that and meant it upon the diagnosis. But I didn’t have a reason to be concerned. Okay, yes. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc across the world, but at that point, I had no symptoms. My thoughts: What’s next? Is this lack of taste and smell thing permanent? Is it the start of more severe symptoms?

Of course, I prayed against all that. Thank you, Jesus! My ability to taste and smell is back. Hence, the reason why I yelled to my husband that I could smell our dinner, black bean soup. 🙂 Ahhh, The Little Things! By the grace of God, my husband and I had mild cases of COVID-19. The only thing that followed the loss of senses was a little nasal congestion.

We don’t know when this COVID-19 thing will be over, but there are ways we can lower our risk of contracting and spreading it. No one is exempt. I know quite a few people who’ve had it who experienced mild symptoms like us to people having to go to the emergency room. There’s no way of knowing how the virus will affect us, so following the CDC guidelines and recommendations are extremely important.

As Christians, my husband and I take the guidelines and recommendations as a way of showing love for God’s creation. That may seem silly to some, but this walk isn’t about us. We wear our mask, the correct way, for you, not just for us. Social/Physical distancing, disinfecting, washing hands, and other precautions can be a matter of life or death. Why risk it?

I’m so grateful that our experience wasn’t life-threatening. Our prayer is for the eradication of all variants of COVID-19. And for mercy for us all. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Obedience is better than sacrifice. Stay safe and well.

I’m not exempt. I’m just . . .

Blogging It Out