Hi fellow human, how are you feeling?
It is 19 minutes past midnight here. I have a cup of tea cooling right next to me.
It is the end of week 2 into the Covid-19 pandemic. I have been inside for what felt like months. My body is tired. My mind quiet. My spirit numb. I lost my excitement for self discovery. Couple of my friends are sick. I am worried.
I cannot fall asleep. I picked up my unfinished piece from Wednesday night. It is about one of my pandemic projects: exam my body from head to toe.
As adults, we don’t typically exam our body up close, inch by inch. If you are curious about your own body and want to be wonderfully surprised, try it. I had fun.
Here is my report back:
- My skin is on the fair side. I am blessed with reasonably sized pores all over. I have rashes on my back right now. They visit every month exactly one week before my period and leave right after. It is painfully magical. The skin on my arm is so soft. I like the touch of it.
- It is difficult to ignore my upper back pain: part of it from anxiety and stress; part of it from hormonal changes. For some woman, our breasts get tender and grow overnight roughly a week before our period. We call it PMS. It is real. I feel angry and uncomfortable. I am in pain. And truly, fighting with a woman during PMS is like trying to beat Michael Jordan in 1991.
- A surprise found: I have two ochre colored freckles on the bridge of my left ear. I never noticed them! They are rather large compared with the ones I have elsewhere. Have I always had this? I need to call my mom and ask.
- My hands and feet are small and bony.
There are also some fun discoveries just for me. I am in awe of my body and what it allows me to do. I am already dazzled by parts I get to see on the outside; imagine my response when I see the insides. (Someone has made it possible.)
Have you looked at your body this closely, like adoring a piece of invaluable art from 1800s? Which body feature of yours make you feel confident and attractive? Ask your partner what is their favorite body feature of yours. Extend this invitation for an intimate and beautiful conversation. Experiment.
I am curious to see how my body changes over the years.
Take care everyone. It looks like we are going to be in the pandemic longer than we expected.
Btw you should do more muscle training focusing on the latissimus dorsi (背阔肌), that will help.
I will get serious about it, soon.
I did gene test somehow, I’m also curious about my body. Some funny things to share: My skin is vulnerable to sunlight than normal people, aging quicker if don’t take care. I have a higher tolerance of pain, I’m more likely to hurt my ankle and I can digest alcohol quicker.
It is neat to discover new information about yourself and get to know yourself better. I will try to take care of this intelligent gift I have been given. Hope you have a healthy and long life, where you get to do the things you want to do and visit places you long for.