The Five Days of Creativity Series is taking longer than
five days. To critics and complainers, I say, “Time is silly. Why does
everything have to be so fucking linear?”
Now it is May 1st. I am switching apartments today. Again. My ever expanding stock of possessions has grown to include three and a half suitcases. And yet somehow I only own one and a half t. shirts.
“I am on a lonely road and I am travelling, travelling, travelling.
Looking for something, what can it be?”
Joni, All I Want
What can it be? No fucking idea. But just in case, better not stay anywhere too long. Poor Joni. I hear she’s not feeling so good. A couple Mondays ago, I wasn’t feeling so good either, though my condition was far less extreme than Joni’s. I had meant to blog about Dan Savage’s hump porn fest, but instead I hit up some tedious public health care. Here’s part of the story, which I shared on the One Year of Metta Community Facebook page. The page was organized by one of my first yoga teachers ever. For one year, a bunch of metta practitioners takes turns sharing how they are experiencing lovingkindness and meditation in their daily lives. It is quite lovely.
Here’s what I shared on my turn:
Everything is awful and I’m not OK.
The day before, a friend had told me about her boyfriend’s high-fat low carbohydrate diet, and something called the bullet-proof coffee. Perhaps the new ticket was in the 10 000th eating regime. I whipped up the coffee with the coconut oil and raw egg. It tasted alright, but a little cold. When I reheated it, the egg cooked at the bottom of the pan. I kind of hate eggs. So much for that.
Now it is May 1st. I am switching apartments today. Again. My ever expanding stock of possessions has grown to include three and a half suitcases. And yet somehow I only own one and a half t. shirts.
It’s a toss-up over whether to move on foot or via Uber.
Both smugness-inducing options, though my rectangular friend the i-Phone is
predicting rain, which might dampen the smugness and the suitcases, should I
decide upon walking.
These days as I meditate, I balance a hardcover book called
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” upon my head. I gave the inside of the covers a go
as well. Seems like a decent story. What a relief to read something that’s not
the internet. Oh, Internet.
Oh, Joni Mitchell.
This morning as I balanced A Thousand Splendid Suns upon my
head, a song of Joni’s entered my brain: “I am on a lonely road and I am travelling, travelling, travelling.
Looking for something, what can it be?”
What can it be? No fucking idea. But just in case, better not stay anywhere too long. Poor Joni. I hear she’s not feeling so good. A couple Mondays ago, I wasn’t feeling so good either, though my condition was far less extreme than Joni’s. I had meant to blog about Dan Savage’s hump porn fest, but instead I hit up some tedious public health care. Here’s part of the story, which I shared on the One Year of Metta Community Facebook page. The page was organized by one of my first yoga teachers ever. For one year, a bunch of metta practitioners takes turns sharing how they are experiencing lovingkindness and meditation in their daily lives. It is quite lovely.
Here’s what I shared on my turn:
Deep Unyielding Depression, Part Two
Monday Morning. 35 minutes of meditation, 75 minutes of
yoga, one unsuccessful computer task and the whole world seems like it’s
already crumbled. Yet again the day seems doomed to the familiar fog of
unyielding sadness, paralyzing futility and self-sabotaging thoughts. Everything is awful and I’m not OK.
The day before, a friend had told me about her boyfriend’s high-fat low carbohydrate diet, and something called the bullet-proof coffee. Perhaps the new ticket was in the 10 000th eating regime. I whipped up the coffee with the coconut oil and raw egg. It tasted alright, but a little cold. When I reheated it, the egg cooked at the bottom of the pan. I kind of hate eggs. So much for that.
I am feeling a mess. Yoga, flaxseed, fresh air, and it’s
still me and my head, banging against the wall.
I call my friend Franck, who took me up the mountains on a
motorcycle in India. Franck is really into God. God and Franck talk all the
time. Franck’s surrendered his whole life to him, or her. I hope that he will
not tell me that God is the answer. God can’t be the answer today.
“What is it my darling?”
“I can’t do this anymore. Please don’t tell me to talk to
God.”
“No, no God today.” It sounds like he’s been waiting for
this call. “You go to doctor, you tell them you’ve been depressed a long time,
you cry every day.”
Five years ago, I decided psychiatry and psychiatrists were
mostly dumb. I canned the Prozac and quit the vomit elements of my eating
disorder, fueled almost entirely by willpower, self-discipline and maybe
backbends. I thought that was that. A trophy recovery success. No vomit, no
Prozac.
And well. Here we are again. No vomit this time, but a
low-grade level of the “Divorce” Diet, and a high-grade level of despair.
“It’s okay. You’re just depressed. You’ve been depressed a
long time. You go to doctor.” God bless Franck. No more Shiny Happy Lululemon
Formulas. No more trying to think yourself out of it. You feel unwell. You are
worthy of help.
There is no Shiny Happy Conclusion.
I love myself enough to try the Bullet-Proof Coffee. To
wander all over the city seeking help in the rain. To spend four hours in
emergency, only to learn the psychiatrist has gone home. And to go back the
next day, waiting amongst the people with injured feet and the need to vomit
into boxes that look like they were meant for French Fries.
When it’s all over, there is brief elation, though no Happy
Recovery Trophy. Multi-vitamins. The possibility of Prozac. Lentils, bedtime,
tomorrow.
The End.
Update: Just about two weeks later, and I’m feeling pretty
good. Prozac is a fabulous drug, though I’m having a hell of a time sleeping. 
Oh, and I gave the Bullet-Proof Coffee some more chances. We
are having an okay go at it.
See you in the Mile End!
I was thinking of starting up a Mile End Butt Club. Guaranteed Happy Butts. Let me
know if you’re up for this.
