Ashland is a college town, its centerpiece a 135-acre campus of the venerable Ashland University. But it’s also the cozy kind of home that hosts Main Street window-decorating contests at Christmas and a summer cornhole tournament.
Trauma has a way of crystallizing what s important in life.
Last week, one of my dearest friends was hospitalized for five days battling complications from the COVID-19 virus. I watched my 32-year-old friend transform; days spent teaching, woodworking and playing with his young son are now filled with canes, oxygen tanks and getting winded from a 10-step walk to the bathroom.
It was five days of fear, learning medical jargon and caring way more about oxygen levels than I ever thought I would. Five days of tears and running errands and late-night text messages as a poor substitute for hugs and quality time.Â