Five Years later, Covid, it finally caught me

It’s 2025.

Five years since the world turned upside down. Five years since we were wiping down groceries and hoarding toilet paper like it was gold.

Five years of dodging, praying, masking, distancing, and hoping not to hear that cough in a crowded room.

And now, for the first time…I got it.

Yep. COVID finally caught up with me. And while I’m on the mend and the worst has passed, it handed me a few lessons I didn’t know I needed. So here’s what I’ve learned because even in the middle of fever and fatigue, life is still dropping gems.

1. It Sucks

Let’s not sugarcoat it. It sucks. I’m not talking about a mild inconvenience. I’m talking body aches like a freight train, energy levels stuck on 1%, and brain fog that made stringing two thoughts together feel like rocket science. I’ve had colds before.

This wasn’t that.

2. When You’re a Speaker and Your Lungs Say No

I’m a speaker. My lungs are my instruments. My breath is my rhythm. My voice is my business. And when COVID made it hard to speak more than a few sentences without coughing, it was the worst. It’s a different kind of fear when your gift feels blocked. It made me respect the fragility of my craft even more.

3. Listen to Your Body

Not hustle. Not grind. Not "just push through." Your body is always speaking whispering at first, then yelling if you ignore it too long. Mine told me to sit down, to be still, to rest. I’m glad I listened. Recovery isn’t a performance. It’s a process.

4. Your Support System is the Real Medicine

My wife held it down for four days.

That kind of love is a balm. In moments like this, you remember just how vital your village is.

5. Be Grateful for Every. Single. Breath.

When breath becomes hard, it becomes holy.

Every inhale feels like a gift.Every exhale, a prayer.

I don’t take it lightly. Not one breath. Not one word spoken without a cough. Not one moment of feeling normal.

I don’t know what this year has thrown at you, but let this be a reminder: we don’t control much but we can control how we slow down, how we heal, and how we show up for others.

Stay safe. Stay soft. And take care of your breath.