Hello from the Inside

I am writing this column from my home office, which didn’t exist before last week.

I was sitting at my desk on Oct. 15 when I was called by someone to tell me that I had been exposed to COVID.

My mind devolved into a hundred different thoughts of what I needed to do, but the first clear answer was leave the office.

So I cleaned off my desk and left while calling to schedule an appointment for a test.

That rapid test (taken with a nasal swab) came back negative. It had now been six days since I had seen the person so I decided to selfquarantine just to be safe.

During the weekend, I started to get some random headaches and a scratchy throat as well as feeling hot from time to time.

I decided to wait until Friday for a re-test just to make sure.

In the meantime, Sara and Cindy dropped my computer and random things off on my porch, which I brought in after they left.

I built pages at home while we exchanged files and checked each other’s work.

I also had a few people drop food off, both bought and homemade, but I never was in direct contact with any of these people.

After 12 days of isolation, I can truthfully admit quarantine is lonely.

Fortunately, I had my dog to keep me company and I can’t even count the number of people checking on me through messages and phone calls.

Some of these are people I see every day, some are people I rarely see who heard about my situation and wanted to make sure I was okay.

It is always nice to be reminded that people care about you, and I had several reminders throughout my isolation that made the quarantine a little more bearable.

I am also aware of the extra work that Cindy and Sara had to perform while I was working from home. I am thankful that we were able to get a paper out under these circumstances, due in no small part to their willingness to go above and beyond.

My second test (a throat swab) also came back negative, with my m i n o r symptoms appearing to be a sinus infection that had been left unchecked.

I feel silly worrying about having COVID now but, at the same time, I did everything that was expected of me in isolating from my co-workers and neighbors and didn’t risk anyone to exposure because I could have just as easily had it.

I am deeply appreciative of the concern that was shown to me and encourage anybody who knows someone in isolation to check in on them from time to time.

The level of care I was shown makes me so grateful for this community and all the people in my life.

—Paul Gaudette is the Managing Editor of the Dublin Citizen. He can be reached at publisher@dublincitizen.com