Today, I am useless

On some days, I wake up and know: that today, I’m going to be useless to the world.

I feel it from the moment I open my eyes. There’s muscle pain in my body, even though I haven’t been to the gym in days. There’s increased sensitivity to ordinary things (“I don’t think we have coffee! Why is the world such a hopeless place?!”). There’s that anxiety in the background, tightening its grip. And there’s no desire to start this day whatsoever.

On days like this, I tell myself: “It’s OK. This too shall pass.”

Perhaps you pushed yourself too hard over the past few days. Perhaps you haven’t responded to your inner wants and needs. Perhaps you just need a break.

That’s OK. We’re all human. And this, primarily, means that we have limitations. (The “hustlers” who wake up at 4 AM every day and run 10K before breakfast assume they’re superhuman. Good for them. What a flock of delusional douchebags.)

Billy Joel sang:

Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It’s alright, you can afford to lose a day or two (oooh)
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

This is a song about life and old age. Billy Joel said to the world, “It’s alright, you can afford to lose a day or two” because life is long, and you can still be productive even when you’re old. Vienna is referencing life — it waits for you, and you do not have to work…