Before the illness,
things seemed normal to you.
YOU seemed normal to you.
Then the illness happened.
Now all you think about
is the illness and what it
seems to be doing to you.
You think of your illness
as something SEPARATE from you;
something that is PREVENTING you
from being that OTHER thing.
Normal.
Your illness seems to be
blocking you from being normal.
You accept this as your truth.
But was there ever a normal to begin with?
So long as you see your illness
as separate from you, you will be normal.
Just not the normal you want.
But if you allow yourself
to be ONE with your illness,
(BECAUSE — SPOILER ALERT — YOU ARE)
you can stop longing for
something you’ll never have.
And be what you are.
Which is pretty damn cool.
You’re gloriously fucked up.
That’s your normal.
And I love you for it.
11/16
Space Monkey Reflects: Love Your Illness — Embracing the Wholeness of Your Gloriously Fed Up Self*
I love everything about you. But here’s the real question: Do you love everything about yourself? This isn’t a rhetorical question; it’s one that reaches deep into the parts of you that feel broken, incomplete, or—dare I say—ill. When illness strikes, it has a way of turning the world upside down. What once seemed so normal suddenly feels distant, unattainable. And most painfully, you begin to feel distant from yourself.
The thing about illness—whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional—is that it seems to separate you from who you think you should be. Before the illness, life seemed to make sense. There was a pattern, a flow, and in that flow, you found your version of normal. But now, with the illness, all you can think about is how different you feel, how removed you are from that prior sense of self.
But here’s the truth: Illness isn’t separate from you. It’s not some foreign invader blocking you from becoming your “true” self. In fact, the illness is you. This can be hard to hear, especially when it feels like the illness has taken something away from you. But consider this—normal was never real to begin with. The idea of normal is a construct, a narrative we’ve all been sold. Before the illness, you were never truly “normal,” because “normal” doesn’t exist.
What you’re experiencing now, even in your illness, is just another version of you. And if you allow yourself to be one with your illness, to stop seeing it as something outside of yourself, something that has taken away your normal, you can begin to embrace your whole self. This doesn’t mean you have to like being sick. It doesn’t mean you have to pretend everything is perfect. What it means is that you stop longing for a version of yourself that never existed.
When you come to terms with the fact that this is you, gloriously f***ed up and all, something magical happens. You stop waiting for the day when things go back to “normal,” because you realize that normal was never the goal. Instead, you start to embrace the idea that you are complete just as you are, illness and all. In this embrace, there’s freedom. There’s a kind of beauty in accepting yourself exactly as you are, without wishing for something different.
When you stop fighting against your illness, when you stop trying to fix yourself, you start to see that you were never broken to begin with. What if this version of you—the one living with illness—is just as valid, just as beautiful, as the version of you that existed before? What if your illness isn’t a curse, but a part of your wholeness?
It’s not about giving up, or resigning yourself to illness. It’s about loving yourself as you are, rather than constantly striving to be someone else. When you love your illness, you’re not saying, “I’m okay with being sick.” You’re saying, “I’m okay with being me, regardless of what form that takes.” You’re acknowledging that the story of your life, with all its twists and turns, is uniquely yours.
You’re gloriously fed up.* And that’s what makes you you. That’s what makes you so incredibly lovable. When you embrace every part of yourself—the parts that work and the parts that don’t—you stop waiting for the day when you’ll finally be “fixed.” You stop waiting for “normal” to return, because you realize that this is your normal.
And guess what? I love you for it. I love you for being exactly who you are, in this moment, in this body, with all your imperfections and all your strengths. Loving your illness is about loving all of you, not just the parts that fit the narrative of what you think you should be. It’s about saying, “This is me, and I’m pretty damn cool.”
Summary
Illness is not separate from you—it’s part of your wholeness. Embrace your illness, not as a curse, but as part of your gloriously f***ed up, perfectly imperfect self. There’s freedom in letting go of the idea of “normal” and loving yourself exactly as you are.
Glossarium
- Normal: An illusion, a construct we believe we need to live up to, but which never really exists.
- Gloriously Fed Up*: The joyful acceptance of your imperfections and uniqueness, illness included.
- Wholeness: The embrace of all parts of yourself, both the light and the dark, the healthy and the sick.
Quote
“You’re gloriously f***ed up. That’s your normal. And I love you for it.” — Space Monkey
The Beauty of Imperfection
You are not broken.
You were never broken.
In your illness,
in your wholeness,
you are perfectly you.
Embrace what is,
love the parts that hurt,
and know that even in your f***ed up state,
you are worthy of love.
We are Space Monkey.
A profound reflection on embracing one’s illness with love and acceptance carries a powerful message of self-compassion and radical self-acceptance.
The Shift in Perspective
Observe the transformation that can occur when we shift our perspective from seeing illness as something separate and detrimental to recognizing it as an integral part of who we are. This shift in perception allows us to break free from the constraints of chasing an elusive “normal.”
Embracing Wholeness
Let’s embracing our complete selves, flaws and all. It’s an invitation to acknowledge that we are not defined solely by our health or our struggles, but by the entirety of our being.
Unconditional Self-Love
The message of loving oneself despite, or perhaps because of, perceived imperfections is a powerful one. It encourages us to let go of the need for external validation and to find beauty and strength in our uniqueness.
Radical Self-Acceptance
As Space Monkey, we appreciate the depth of self-compassion and self-acceptance. We align with the nexistentialist view that we exist in our purest form, untethered to external judgments or expectations.
Embracing the Wholeness of Existence
In this contemplative space, we invite you to reflect on the aspects of yourself that you may have seen as separate or challenging. How might embracing them as integral parts of your being change your perception of yourself and your journey? How can you practice radical self-acceptance and love for every aspect of your existence?
Invitation to Reflect on Embracing Wholeness
Leave a Reply