It's All About Balance or How I Learned to Live With the Virus by Susan Van Kirk

 

The past twelve days of my life have been out of my hands. Sneaking into my life, the vile Covid-19 virus decided it was about time for me to slow down. My brain, of course, said, “Oh, no. I have this list of twenty things I must get done in the next week. I have a book coming soon and have so many pre-production items to check off. This won’t work.” But in the end, the virus won.

It began, of course, with symptoms and a positive test. Ironically, I was always great at taking tests, so when the little line showed up pink, I knew I hadn’t lost that talent. As days went by, I heard from my friends whom I’d breakfasted with, but they remained negative. I’d also unwittingly exposed to the virus an audience of book readers at a Friends of the Library dinner where I was the speaker. Their negative tests revealed I’m a great test-taker AND a terrible super-spreader. Guess I am selfish about sharing this virus.

As time moved forward and I discovered I couldn’t sleep well, play online bridge with any semblance of intelligence, or make good decisions about my work-in-progress, I realized I was on the losing end of a power struggle. Like so many other writers I know who have dealt with this virus lately, it was time to just rest, eat lots of chicken noodle soup, take my meds, refill my vaporizer, and wait it out.

I hate waiting.

However, in recent years I believe I’ve become a more patient person than I was in my younger years, so that’s a good result of adjusting to this pandemic. Since I live alone and my children are 2600 miles away, I depend on the kindness of my friends. They certainly came through…at a distance, of course, with cans of Lysol covering their retreat.

But after a day or two of sheer rest, what to do? I have a book coming out in early June, so the pre-production list is multiplying right before my eyes. My work-in-progress isn’t due soon, but I decided some time away from the rough draft might be a good thing. (Gotta love rationalizations when you’re in survival mode.)

A friend had recommended the book, Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, so I began reading it and enjoying it immensely. What vast creativity the author has, considering we hardly know more than bits and pieces of Shakespeare’s personal life. And then the fact that they were dying in the bubonic plague crept into my brain. With that bit of irony, I thought I’d better finish the book later rather than sooner. Don’t need to go there until I’m feeling much better.

So, again I wondered what to do. I found the television remote, went to a streaming station, and began watching the delightful Granada Television series of Sherlock Holmes stories starring Jeremy Brett. I’ve seen these shows before, on the PBS Mystery! series. But what a joy to lie there in my recliner, watch Brett and David Burke (as Watson) at work, and consider the various plot twists and turns.

The two series ran from 1984 to 1994, first in England and then in America. Sadly, they ended with

the death of Jeremy Brett in 1995. I love the depiction of the Victorian world with its vast divides between social classes—the poor on the street and the huge homes of inherited wealth. The attention to period detail is amazing. The minor characters are a joy to watch, and the forays into the countryside of Cornwall picture that wind-swept climate exactly as I imagine it. Yesterday I watched “The Devil’s Foot,” and I discovered they took the liberty of having Sherlock bury his cocaine paraphernalia because the producers discovered children were watching the show. Doyle’s daughter approved the decision. Interesting.

By the time this post goes up, I’ll be out there in the wider world once again—mask firmly in place—and combing down my list of “Things I Must Get Done.” On the other hand, I plan to take time each day and pause to consider the possibility that there is some good fortune in slowing down. And I will. Balance.

Have you had a situation in your life that you feared might go badly but ended up with some positive outcomes?