And here we go again... down with the flu. Man... insane.
And as flu caught me alone in my second home, I have no
A sick person's meal, prepared by the sick person.
choice but to tend to myself. I have been cooking my meals even when I feel like I am unable to lift the spatula. I know I could just order food... but that's a lot of wrappers and wrappers and packaging and packaging, layer after layer - too much waste, I can't bare it... especially after enduring that 'parade of typhoons' that hit the Philippines over the last few weeks. No, thank you. It is time to take action and contribute in mitigating climate change... no matter how small the contribution is, it is still a step towards the right direction. So, yeah, I'll do my best to cook. So far, I am able to manage... without aggravating my health condition... I think... uhm, I hope! 😅 The effort is real, and the hunger that builds up while cooking progressed so very (very) slowly is like Smaug himself waiting to devour Bilbo Baggins!
One of the things that I really, really hate about coming down with the flu is that flu usually goes with a sore throat. And if one had been terribly abusive of one's health (hence, the flu in the first place), the sore throat can be so terrible that it goes with a 'shut-off vocal cords'. Air is blocked completely from creating sound waves... one can't make the smallest of sound no matter how hard one tries to scream. It is totally frustrating that I just want to stuff my mouth with food to compensate... but swallowing is a labor, too. So, yeah... did I mention frustrating? 'Cause it is!
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The voiceless pain
Feverish, mightily uncomfortable from body ache and painful throat, dizzy and weak, watery eyes and no voice... that's me today. And I am very, very frustrated. 😞 As I write this post this very moment, I am binge-watching one of my ultimate favorite TV shows, the "Gilmore Girls" (GG) series, because I have been so bored staring at the ceiling in my bed. And I am extremely frustrated that I am unable to sing along with the show's theme song, "Where you Lead" by the brilliant Carole King (CK).
🎶"I always wanted a real home with flowers in the window sill.
Well, if you wanna live in Stars Hollow, baby, you know I will...
Where you lead, I will follow, anywhere that you tell me to...."🎶
I do enjoy singing the theme song. In fact, for hardcore Stars Hollow fans, it is one of the highlights of watching GG. Every episode begins with some sort of an overview of what the next 45 minutes will be about... and then just when you are about to say, "huh? What? Whaaat??", the theme song rolls in, and you know you are, indeed, at the right place. So, you cozy up with a bucket of popcorn on your lap, and all other concerns in life far, far away from your mind. Every episode also ends with some sort of an "aaaww" or an "oh, nooo" moment that made us want to speed up the week back in the early 2000s in order to see the next episode. These days, with Netflix stringing the episodes per season in a binge-worthy array, the "aaawww" or "oh, no" moment is followed real fast by the "whaaaat" moment. And something has to relieve a fan from such heightened emotion. I guess I do not have to emphasize that the relief comes from the theme song. A moment when one's sanity says bye-bye momentarily as one sings along with the fabulous CK while watching highlights of the show.
So, imagine how painful it is for an avid GG fan like myself when he/she is unable to get the smallest of sound to sing along with CK - argh, torture!
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The sweetness of working from home
As I mentioned before, I have been appreciating my new surroundings in my second home, close to my new primary workplace. I have been realizing in the past days as I work from home
Through the sheer curtain at the window, it seems that something is 'on fire' outside. But it is just the sunset... in its glorious beauty.
that wherever I sit to work in my new home, I see the very green sceneries outside through the 'countless' windows we have. I have been complaining to my sister that I have no blank walls to hang paintings and pictures, and there are very few spaces where I can park my favorite art pieces. These days, I am beginning to accept... and appreciate the big windows that allow me to see my green surroundings. At the moment, that relieves my painful and watery eyes, and I'm grateful. The small lanai by the side of the house, or the small backyard, allows me to soak in the healing warmth of sunrise. Also, in many places where I can sit to work in the afternoon while I eat snacks before taking medicine (again), I have a view of the lovely sunset in this part of the world... and enjoying the sunset is one of my 'guilty pleasures'. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy these things... even if what afforded me to enjoy them is a health issue. There is always something good in any of our experiences. Sometimes the goodness is an immediate outcome that we can enjoy, other times, we need to dig deep to discover it. And the greatest gift is experiencing goodness without having to dig too deep. These days, I appreciate that enjoying sunrise and/or sunset does not require digging deep. So, again, I am grateful.
My 'voiceless pain'... or 'painful voicelessness' is kind of taken over by the sweetness of working from home... even when the reason for working from home is the 'voiceless pain'. And yes, I am grateful. Indeed, I am.
If you have gotten this far, uhm... I am so sorry but did I just waste three minutes of your life? I did? I knew it! I am extra-incoherent today. But, hey, I am grateful... to you for enduring my incoherence. I appreciate you.
*** Image credit: The photos in this post are mine. I took them, they belong to me.
