Living Cliché

Recently I looked in mirror and could see that I am starting to age. As I stared I thought about how quickly the last ten years have gone by, and how quickly the next would disappear. Realising how short life is, I thought to myself, "Why am I living my life in a way that I don't want to?" As if this thought wasn't depressing enough, I then thought, "I am full of clichés." That really made me feel bad.

(But perhaps clichés are the only thing that can be thought whilst looking in the mirror.)

Fragility

With a stretch I pull a muscle, with a gentle tap I bruise, with a sneeze my back tightens, with sex my legs ache, to be in close contact with strangers I catch their cold. To have a weak body can leave one with feelings of constant regret. ‘Why did I move in that position?’ ‘Why did I not protect myself more adequately?’ Not just regret, but fear of the future too. ‘What will life be like in 30 years with such a body?’

If one has a weak body, but is a genius, that is ok. “Well, his physical weakness added to his greatness.” “His suffering made him what he is, giving him the perspective that no-one else can have.” I am no genius though.

The problem with such physical weakness is that one accepts it as one’s essence, and thus nothing is done to combat it. Is the acceptance as this weakness as one’s essence not a sign of yet another, non-physical weakness? Weakness of the mind – what a combination to have. I do not want to delve into that. (Certainly showing the very weakness of her mind).