Harmonica

I’ve been spending too much time on X.

I dreamt of Elon Musk.

I was a girl. We sat together in what looked like an open train.

No words, our eyes talked. Neither romantic nor filial.

He’s so tall.

I looked up to him as he wrapped his right arm around me.

Then he started playing music… with parts of his face.

I had childlike wonder on my face.

He smiled lightly and brought out something about as wide as his mouth, a harmonica.

One after the other, parts of his face popped and played music – his cheeks, his nose, his eyes, his forehead.

I laid my head on his chest as the train kept moving forward, the cool breeze brushing on my cheeks.

I was safe.

Then I awakened.

Last 24 Hours of 2024

Here’s a list of 24 fun and approachable goals to do over the next 24 hours. They’re lighthearted, creative, and inclusive, making them perfect for everyone:

1. Write down three things you’re grateful for.

2. Drink a glass of water and stretch for five minutes.

3. Send a thoughtful message to someone you care about.

4. Try a funny face contest (even if it’s just with yourself in the mirror).

5. Write a silly poem or limerick.

6. Dance to your favorite song like no one’s watching.

7. Draw a doodle of something that made you happy this year.

8. Declutter one small area, like a drawer or a corner.

9. Learn a new word and use it in a sentence.

10. Compliment someone (even if it’s yourself).

11. Take a quick walk and notice something you’ve never seen before.

12. Try a random trivia question with everyone in the chat.

13. Make a paper airplane and see how far it flies.

14. Look up a constellation you might see tonight.

15. Tell your favorite joke or riddle.

16. Try a 30-second plank (or any quick workout move).

17. Watch a cute animal video and share the joy.

18. List your favorite food from this year and why you love it.

19. Try to whistle or snap your fingers—if you already can, do it louder!

20. Learn how to say “Happy New Year” in a different language.

21. Write a letter to your future self for next year.

22. Count how many stars or lights you can see from where you are.

23. Make a wish on a star (or the clock!).

24. Try balancing something silly on your head.

“Sticks and stones…?”

Have you ever broken a bone?

The bone on my left pinky got broken when I was 9. It got stuck in the hinge of what could’ve been 8 or 10 feet of solid acacia door. My fault. I stifled a cry, the nail died a slow death but I healed fine.

I also have TMD (temporomandibular disorder). My best guess is it’s an injury from the vehicular accident I was in when I was 4. A panicky passenger with leather shoes stepped on my face as I laid partly conscious. It got me pinned between what was either the ceiling or the floor of the bus my pregnant mom and I were in. My mom and I (and my sibling in her tummy) lived through that day.

My left wrist snapped when I was training in MuayThai in my mid 20s. These days, when I spin my wrist, it makes a clicking sound. Pretty cool.

I wasn’t hospitalized for any of those injuries, no casts, no medications whatsoever. So I Googled up to check whether or not it’s true that bones grow back. I found this one from LibreTexts.

Meanwhile, while the nursery rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me,” negates the possibility of getting injured by words, I differ.

Words have power. Words can cut deep. Words can spark revolutions. And words…

“…and words are all I have to take your love away…” -BeeGees