Awesome Joolie

I have a minor cold. I know it's a cold because I've tested negative for Covid three times and after having Covid, you can totally tell the difference once the acute phase starts. This in itself is not interesting, but what I do find notable is that my attitude toward pushing through being sick has changed since Covid. 

I have been working all week, and I'm in the office today, but masked and avoiding people as much as is practical. And I had a dinner with friends this evening that I was very much looking forward to, and was hoping I'd be well in time for, but I'm not yet feeling better and it seems kind of unthinkable to unwittingly expose them to my germs. Even though we'd planned to sit outside, even though my symptoms are pretty much undetectable if you're not the actual host of the virus. Three years ago I would have taken pains to mask any symptoms I could and just sucked it up--no one ever canceled anything for a slight cold! don't be a wimp! you're letting everyone down!--but now, I don't know. I'm not mad at whoever gave me their cold, but my tolerance for being a disease vector has plummeted.  

Also, the cabinet where I keep our household stash of face masks also has a box of incense in there somewhere, so my mask smells slightly of patchouli and musk. A little counterintuitive for the work environment, like I'm proofreading mail merges in an opium den.