Ask Baba Yaga: How Can I Stop Feeling Like My Chronic Illness Is a Curse?

Transcript after the jump.

Dear Baba Yaga,

Growing up, I had an incredible amount of energy. Then, the year I turned 20, I was diagnosed with an incurable (but manageable) health problem that robbed me of my physical drive and mental clarity. I feel angry that my body has failed me in this way, I feel angry that my youth was taken from me so soon, and I feel frightened that things will only grow worse as I grow older. What should I do to feel better about my situation, to make peace with myself as I am now? Is it possible to thrive and build a happy and productive life when you have been placed under a curse?

BABA YAGA:

Yr anger is a ) rightful river & yr fear-owl a worthy adversary following above. But every being is , cursed : wearing some deathly wreath. That you feel it ; round yr neck so young is a sorry tale but one in which you join the line of Seers — you see the truth stripped bare & so the wind stings the bareness with an extra fury & so you are roped strong with that fury & that sting, the curse is there for you, bared, to bow down to & harness & wear.

Previously: “Should I Pick the Career That Fits Me Or the One I Want to Fit?”

Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. She’s taking questions on behalf of Baba Yaga at [email protected].