In addition to a sore throat and body aches, illness reminds us that life has no guarantees. Make the most of it.
There is a book by Swedish journalist Ia Genberg called The Details. It is an autofiction story about a woman bedridden with a fever and raves about her past. The author is supposed to have written the book in that feverish state, and today, I admire her more than ever. I re-verified that I cannot write when I am sick.
Has it ever happened to you that you feel like your skull is too small for your brain? Last week, I couldn’t work, read, watch series, play… or think to finish quickly.
I don’t remember when was the last time a serious illness completely took over me for so long (just over a week). Feeling my head throbbing with chills.
A thing of absolute terror. Very ad hoc because we are in the spooky season! My second favorite season of the year.
So you don’t think that everything in my existence is horror, today’s menu includes a recommendation to remember how lucky we are to have this planet. This movie isn’t horror but seems like it is a story about… and a reflection on what happens when we’re sick.
A recommendation
Can you imagine how many images are taken from space on our planet? Well, NASA has a machine that allows you to write your name on space images.
Mine includes New Zealand plus shots of Bolivia, Argentina, South Africa, the United States, Tibet, and Iceland.
You can discover your name in images at this link.
A movie
Speaking of the body, you’ve missed a lot if you haven’t yet gone to The Substance at the theater.
The premise is simple: a famous actress reaches the age where she is relegated by everyone. It is sad to see how the stunning Demi Moore has self-esteem problems (if she has them, what can we mortals expect). Fed up with this situation, the protagonist decides to participate with a company called The Substance to have a new, younger, more perfect self…
I am not going to spoil what happens. Above all, the first two acts shocked me, and I continued to mull over what I had seen. The third act seemed unnecessary to me. In short, besides the fact that the film is one of those to reflect on, it is shocking, terrifying, and somewhat depressing.
You can still find it in the cinema.
A short story
Hypoesthesia
My name is Lucia, and people think what happens to me is a joke; they think I’m playing. Losing hearing or vision is considered normal within the abnormal. But with what I live, no one can explain it.
When I was a child, the one who suffered was my mother. I only knew that she touched me because she lifted me up, I felt that she lifted me off the floor. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t notice it.
For that reason, my mother believed that I was an indifferent, rude child. I suggested seeing the doctor when a classmate decided to bite my hand at daycare, and I didn’t notice anything. The doctor gave his verdict: the girl doesn’t feel.
People think my life is sad, but I don’t know how it feels. I can’t miss what I don’t know. What does weigh on me is disappointing everyone. My mother died believing that I didn’t like hugs. I wanted to see her smile when she did.
When I thought I was doomed, everything changed. One day, I saw Nicholas walking down the hall, and something unusual happened to me. I loved his smile. It was strange. I wanted to… touch him. Even though it wouldn’t have mattered to me. You know? Hope is in the other.
The day he kissed me, for the first time in my life, I felt something. Not on my lips, but inside me.
Some thoughts
The body is a dichotomy between fragility and strength. A week ago, I felt like I was dying. And in just seven days, seven days! I am someone different. I went from being a zombie homunculus to a person.
I don’t want you to get sick, but I do want you to think about how many times you take for granted that you have your body at your disposal. Do you use it enough? Do you take care of it? I confess that I don’t always.
But don’t worry, my body has already told me: What do you think I am, your mockery? Sometimes, I take for granted that I am in good health, and this episode reminds me that being on this planet is not a guarantee.
Being sick is also very interesting because of the people who worry too much about you, who suffocate you, the best ones who only care about you and know how to give the right balance between care and distance… And the indifferent ones who don’t seem so endearing.
But hey, if you are in good health, like me today, life is waiting for you, and it is an opportunity to achieve the dreams in the pipeline.
***
Is it your first time? I’ll leave you more letters here.
With virus-free love,
J. McNamara, aka Geeknifer.
You can contact me on Instagram, Telegram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
