Friends, I am a Covid Long-Hauler. My acute phase of Covid in early October was relatively mild, but shreds of it lingered for a few weeks before blossoming into a dizzying array of over 50 symptoms. At first the most horrifying symptoms were the cognitive ones; brain fog has impacted my ability to use words, to drive, and worst of all, to make music. Over the last couple of months, however, the severity of symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, balance issues, post-exertional malaise, and headaches increased to the point where I could no longer dependably teach two lessons in a row without landing in bed for 3+ hours afterwards. Since being forced to accept this impossibility in late December, I’ve had to cut half my teaching studio, give up my choir, and step down from my leadership positions. With the loss of income, we’ll be selling our home here in beautiful Central Pa within the next months and moving out to Utah to be near family. What can I say? Our lives are not really our own, much as we strain to steer the ship. Sometimes all we can do is hold on tight.