THIS IS REALLY HARD!

Recovering from this heart/lung surgery

Takes grit of which I have plenty

Recovering from this heart/lung surgery

Takes courage of which I have plenty

Recovering from this heart/lung surgery

Takes patience of which I have plenty

And hope

And humor

And love that flows back and forth between my heart and others so naturally that social distancing creates problems, because each time I tango with a loved one our veins get so tangled as to make six feet of separation impossible—

The one thing that nine months of chemo did not leave me with plenty of was stamina, which is why my loved ones remind me to go easy on myself when I can’t live up to the expectations of the hospital staff, and having recovered the clarity, at least temporarily, to convey today’s train of thought to each of you, hopefully, you’ll respond by feeling kindly to every masked man, woman or child you happen upon while, ar the same time, you find reason to flash your mask in the mirror a smile, as well.

While I’m busy
Recuperating
Please
Be safe

Be well

And when next

We meet, instead of
Giving each other lip
I’ll bring the chips to match
Your dip as together
Leadership across the nation
Brainstorms toward
Creating a plan that will bring
Covid to irs knees so that
Each time you and I choose to
Enjoy each other, we need not fear
Each other’s sneeze

🙋🏻‍♀️🤒Annie