Yesterday Elon Musk and his company SpaceX, in collaboration with NASA, launched the first manned commercially-built space craft into space. Inside it are, among I’m sure a thousand other things, two astronauts and a glittery dinosaur toy. Because what is space travel without a glittery dinosaur, right? Space travel inspires me enormously and what Elon & co did yesterday was historic and incredibly cool.

I love how SpaceX combines innovation with joy. When the glittery dinosaur started to float around the astronauts, it was a sign that they had reached a state of zero gravity. They could have chosen any object to mark this event but a dinosaur toy it became, because the astronauts’ sons apparently really like dinosaurs. The drone ship at sea that serves as a landing platform could have had any boring name but SpaceX calls it: Of Course I Still Love You (as an homage to the works of the sci-fi author Iain M. Banks). It sounded really funny in the commentary! Combined with futuristic-looking space suits, flat screens inside the spaceship and many other cool things, Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX continue to blow my mind.

I couldn’t have asked for better entertainment last night! Still mostly lying on my couch because of post-viral fatigue and other covid-19 related weirdness in my body, it means a lot to me to witness this event at exactly at this time. I love it so much because it reminds me of our incredible capacity as human beings to achieve pretty much anything. And what a great reminder that we don’t have to be 100% serious about it all the time, we can always add elements of joy into whatever it is we are doing.

I’m spending lots of hours contemplating my life these days. It’s what happens naturally when one’s body is not functioning optimally, I believe. I feel grateful for the moments when I’m clear enough in my head to really feel into what it is I long for and want to achieve in my life. For me, it’s pretty simple really: I long to live my life to the fullest and not let fear stand in my way. I long to speak and write my truth. And if I can achieve to have a positive impact on someone else in their life, simply by being who I am, then that is really amazing. I hope to be around for many more years to live my life!

So, what is my equivalent of a glittery dinosaur in all of this? One thing that comes to mind is my recent purchase of a Spaldeen (a pink bouncing ball) signed by Richard Schiff who acts in my favourite TV series The West Wing. The ball features in the series and now I have one just like it in my own office and as his character in the show, I too bounce it against a wall sometimes in order to find inspiration for my writing. Necessary? No. Fun? Yes. I know this probably sounds really weird to you, but small things like this give me joy in my life.

How I long for more fun and lightness in my life! I still experience many dark moments when I feel afraid that I will never get rid of covid-19 (day 80 today). I still cry from time to time and I still feel frustration and anger. But I also feel grateful for everything in my life and the deep insights I have gained (and still gain) from this whole experience. I realize that at every moment, I can make a conscious decision where I choose to place my focus. On the dark stuff, or on the beautiful and fun stuff.

I choose the glittery dinosaur.    

Thank you for reading and to all of you with long-term covid-19 symptoms: don’t give up hope! You are not alone ♥

Photo: NASA

This writing is part of what I call my Corona Chronicles. On this page you can find an overview of my stories, including tips and insights I have gained throughout the weeks since I got covid-19.