Altering plans, adapting, planning

Mama is now having to debate the travel she had planned for the remainder of this week. The conference she wants to attend is already in progress, but she was planning on attending tomorrow through Saturday. Those plans are now on hold because she has been unable to shake the lingering effects of this virus. Most noticeable is a persistent cough. I am not sure if she is infectious, but it is difficult to disguise the cough from those around her. Another lingering effect of her illness is the lack of energy it engenders. Last night we were getting ready to go to Lowe’s and Tractor Supply for a few needed items but when Mama had finished her shower and dressed for the outing, she was completely spent. We abandoned the excursion. Nothing we were planning to purchase was urgent and we have limited our outings due to the symptoms we have been dealing with, but at some point, we need to start reengaging society. Mama, however, may not be ready just yet.

These conferences are good for Mama. They are very encouraging to her personally. They keep her well informed, well connected within Color Street, and well-motivated to keep moving forward in developing her business. Recently Color Street changed their compensation structure so that stylists could more easily advance in rank and more easily maintain the rank earned from month to month. I remain convinced that this is one of the most thoughtful multi-level marketing companies I have ever dealt with – and Mama and I have experience with a few other such companies. My hope and prayer is that she will be able to go and enjoy the conference, but I will leave that decision entirely to her.

I am debating going to church this evening. I am relatively asymptomatic at this point although I am still dealing with a persistent cough as well. It is not a bad cough, but it is still there. When I begin talking, the cough becomes evident. If I sit quietly, as I do for the work I do, I can almost forget that the cough is still simmering just below the surface. I am afraid that even that extent of symptomatic display will be enough to trouble many at church, so I am leaning toward watching from home again this evening. Perhaps by Sunday both Mama and I will be well enough to present ourselves in person for the services. I am praying to be well enough to lead the singing by Sunday. That remains to be seen.

We are currently in that part of our normal Winter cycle where the nights are below freezing but the days warm up significantly. Some of our afternoons are warming into the seventies but typically the highs are in the forties. Not bad, but it is still cold enough to affect my respiratory system. Therefore, I have to take precautions to protect myself from what to us seems cold. That cool air has enabled the cough to persist and the tickle in my chest to continue. Soon enough we will be past this. Meanwhile, we dress warmly, we drink plenty of hot liquids, and we deal with whatever we must to adapt to ambient conditions while being truly thankful that we have it relatively easy as far as cold weather is concerned. Mama is certainly not ready to relocate to Honduras, for example. At least, not yet. While we are in the forties, Cori and her crew are in the high eighties. We will mirror those temperatures soon enough, but I have noticed that as Mama and I age we enjoy the warmth far more than the cold – at least to a point. Neither of us like to sweat and in Honduras, that is a given.

My isolation from work will end next Monday. I will be able to teach the two classes scheduled for that week from the remote office location. The two classes for this week have been taught by my peers in order to give me time to recover my voice. I am very thankful to my management and my peers for the recovery time, but I am ready to get back to doing my real job. There is a huge urgency on the part of my management to get as much information out of me as possible as I work through this last year or full-time employment. That is being accomplished in part by having me do the videos that have been recorded over the past few months. I sat for a few minutes yesterday and did two short videos, but I was not at all satisfied with one of the two. It will need to be redone at some point.

The videos yesterday were done via Zoom so I am not at all sure how they will turn out. We have a person who is very gifted in the production of such content, so I am looking froward to seeing the final product. I am planning on continuing with the videos Friday. There is one part of the course – a certain application of practices - that I feel needs to be presented in a very particular way and having me cover that content is the best way to accomplish that. I would do that tomorrow, but I will be watching the class presentation tomorrow to back up our newer instructor. Hopefully, we still have plenty of time to get all this information recorded and produced.

That is the plan. We will see how that works out.