An unexpected gift

This post follows on from Week 2788. You don't have to read it first but it may make more sense to you if you did. The super-quick recap is that in Week 2788 of my life I had a spot of double pneumonia and for a moment or two weeks 2789 and beyond looked like a bridge too far. Luckily they weren't and I'm well in to the 3000s now and loving life more than ever.

It was a great learning experience for me and, though I fully recovered, it left me with a little gift. Every morning when I wake up, stretch and take a deep breath, there is a tightness in my chest that makes me catch my breath. It doesn't hurt and there's no damage in terms of capacity or effectiveness, but it reminds me, every morning, that life is fleeting and fragile. The stoics call it memento mori which is latin for remember we die.

Now this doesn't sound very cheerful, or positive but please stay with me. Week 2788 was my confirmation that the rule of Moodhoover Mike had ended and I was now living in the reign of Grateful Mike. The hard work had paid off and gratitude was my default attitude. So this physical daily reminder of pneumonia was being viewed through a different lens.

Moodhoover Mike's internal dialogue in the morning would have been something like:

There it goes again reminding me of that time I almost died. Probably did some permanent damage even though the X-Rays were clear. It was sh1t when it happened and now I'm cursed with a reminder every day for the rest of my life 🤦

But with Grateful Mike in the driving seat, the dialogue was a lot different:

There it goes again reminding me of how lucky I am to still be here. It's great to have a daily reminder of how precious and fragile life is and how grateful I am to be alive. Time to make the most of it and have a fabulous day.

So for me, memento mori is a really positive thing. It's like the universe has given me a built in kick up the arse every morning to make the most of the day. It doesn't help me do more, but it certainly helps me be more present, connected and appreciative of everything around me.