Olaf Waters

The book begins with me lying in bed, sick to my bones, slowly realizing that my life, as I had known it, might be over. At the time, the disease, Long Covid, is not well understood, some patients get better, others don’t recover. I use my skills as a Data Scientist to analyze every bodily metric to find out what is going on with my body. I explore every method I can find to combat the disease. All with limited success. Then, suddenly, during a mindfulness meditation, a single experience changes everything. The disease is transformed from a horrible burden to a strict but kind teacher. From that point on, I continuously rediscovered the disease, the world, and myself, finding a mindful way of living that opens me up to my own trauma and that of my mother, turning a strained relationship into a deep bond. Slowly, through mindful observation, some symptoms start to disappear, each teaching me a valuable life lesson. I am confronted with my own vulnerabilities and emotional needs, finding that my previous way of living had been deeply unfulfilling. Finally, in a shocking moment, the entire disease vanishes, offering one last lesson.