Friday Musings—28/06/24

How’s your week going? Hit reply and let me know—I read every email.

What's new with me

I finally met some competent doctors and had a couple of breakthroughs regarding my health issues. I now have an explanation, at least a partial one, for why I've been feeling so miserable and experiencing so many symptoms (from hair loss and acne to a range of digestive difficulties and other gut issues). It turns out I have a lot of inflammation, and my hormones are imbalanced, as I had suspected for a long time. I'll spare you further details, but I also have proctitis, and I've recently lost so much blood that I'm now anemic!

For many years, my routine blood tests were always more or less fine, so most doctors would just shrug and tell me I had to "work on my stress," especially upon hearing I had struggled with eating disorders for a long time (as if EDs were only a matter of mental health and did not affect one's body and overall health and life). This highlights the importance of listening to your body, never tiring of advocating for yourself and your health, and doing your own research.

I also had my fourth session with the psychotherapist at the Gestalt association in Turin. After this first month together, we had to decide whether we wanted to continue, and the answer is a resounding yes. I've had frustrating encounters with mental health professionals in the past, so I'm happy I've now met someone reliable and hope I'll make progress there as well. Promising news for my health overall—fingers crossed! 🙂

Texting intricacies

Have you ever found yourself mad at how someone replied to one of your messages? Or has anyone been offended by one of your texts? Text etiquette is a minefield, and it can be easy to run into misunderstandings when you're not using non-verbal cues. For instance, one of my pet peeves is when someone replies with a mere "ok"—or even worse, "k"—or a thumbs-up reaction (and don't get me started on the overuse of emojis). I understand we're all busy, but do we really not have the time for complete sentences anymore?

And since we're on the topic, I'll let you know I also don't particularly like "yup" or ending a message with a period. Having said that, I'm sure I've been guilty of "text rudeness" myself, and I used to be very late at replying.

If you're wondering what sparked my rant, check out this article that reveals what the worst one-word text message you can send is! What are your pet peeves and how do you feel about text etiquette?

Sweet summer child

It's been raining a lot these past few months in Northern Italy, and summer hasn't really arrived yet. I lived in Ireland for several years and don't mind the rain and cold at all—in fact, I hate it when it's hot—but a lot of people here are complaining. One of my theater classmates joked that I suffer from reverse seasonal affective disorder, and to our surprise, we then discovered it's actually a thing.

For those of you who love sunny skies and hot weather, here's some advice on how to dose your sunshine exposure this summer to get the most benefits out of it. As for me, I'm heading to the mountains this weekend and will be spending most of the summer there ⛰️⛰️⛰️

Poet's corner

It's been a while since I last shared a poem, but I recently came across a beautiful reading of "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver (who also inspired this week's quote) on the meditation app Insight Timer, and I really enjoyed it.

"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."

Quote of the week ✍️ 

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"  (Mary Oliver)

As always, I welcome your insights or questions. Which musing was your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Any other suggestions? Let me know in the comments or send me an email. Don't forget to share this with someone who may find it interesting.

Enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML

PS Tuesday night, my theater school organized our end-of-year recital. While we'll receive the official photos in the coming weeks, some attendees took candid shots of us as we prepared to start. Despite not looking my best, I love the fact I'm always smiling—something I often forget to do in my daily life. Here's to more smiles!