After our cruise, Bonnie and I flew from Athens, Greece to Atlanta (via Washington DC) on October 1. Since Atlanta is much closer to Harrah’s Cherokee than Las Vegas is, we decided before the trip that we’d stop in Cherokee for three days and then fly on home.

We get mailers from Cherokee, and there are other promotions, and suffice it to say that I felt the odds were in our favor. The only drawback was that we hadn’t been home in more than a month. 

After a 25-hour travel day, we finally reached Cherokee — exhausted. Our vacation wasn’t turning out to be so relaxing. And our physical ailments were much more severe than they were when we booked the trip.

On Monday morning, October 2, I went to the casino to play. I had some sort of a head cold and wasn’t feeling very perky, but still, I can play competent NSU Deuces Wild pretty automatically. So, I powered through the play, losing $6,000 the first day. (That’s pretty much what it’s like playing Deuces Wild when you connect on neither a royal nor a set of four deuces.)

We both went to sleep fairly early Monday night, both because jet lag still affected us and, though my cold wasn’t very severe, it was still there.

Tuesday and Wednesday were much the same. We didn’t feel very well, but I powered through the play. I lost both days. This side trip to Cherokee turned out to be a loser, offsetting most of what we were ahead during our time there before the cruise. Still, the fact that my actual score turned out negative this time doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have gone.

Another long travel day and we got home Wednesday night. We both grabbed a quick bite, went to bed, and would deal with everything else the following day. Including getting ready for our next trip. 

Starting Saturday morning, just a few days later, we were booked into a Seven Stars event in Reno. As I went to bed Wednesday, I didn’t even want to think about Reno. I just wanted to sleep.

Thursday morning, I felt much better than I had in Cherokee. Bonnie had a sore throat and other symptoms. We decided we should take Covid tests. Which we did, and we both tested positive. 

My medical insurance has a 24-hour “Senior Help Line.” I called in, saying basically, “I tested positive on a home Covid test. Now what?”

I was asked about specific symptoms, including most which I knew about and one, mental confusion, which I hadn’t realized was a symptom. I was told to isolate, drink a lot of liquids, and treat it like a common cold. Over the counter cough syrups may or may not help. For most of us who’ve had the Covid vaccines and boosters, which includes Bonnie and me, that’s sufficient. If the symptoms significantly worsen or remain for more than a week, then I should get medical treatment. I shouldn’t be contagious after the fourth day.

I figured we had it since Monday and would no longer be contagious by Saturday. Reno was theoretically still on the table. It was a trip where we had a pretty sizeable edge and I’m very good at powering through these kinds of plays. 

Then I looked at the strategy of the game I would be playing there. It was a game that I had 100% mastered when we played there six weeks ago. I figured I’d be up to that level again with a ten to fifteen minutes review. I’ve been putting accurate video poker strategies into my short-term memory for more than two decades. It’s part of my process and I’m good at it.

This time, though, it was different. I looked at this strategy uncomprehendingly. It was way more complicated than I wanted to deal with. This was mental confusion. It was now I realized that I was sicker than I thought I was. I told Bonnie that what I thought was best was that instead of powering through, we should power down and skip Reno this weekend. She sighed and said, “Thank you very much.” Bonnie lets me make the decisions on gambling and she would have followed my lead. But clearly, we were both feeling poorly and, in our saner moments, it was clear we should stay home.

So, I texted my host and told him we were staying home because of Covid. 

I’m surprised it took me so long to make the decision to not go. I try to eat healthily, but sometimes I forget that taking care of myself is more than just eating right. It includes allowing my body to recuperate when it needs to. Dragging Bonnie around when she’s not at her best is a terrible move in many ways. As positive as this play was, there will be others for me in the future. If I keep myself alive to play them.