Sick Days and Slow Stories

The common cold is annoying, and if I weren’t trying to avoid sounding hyperbolic or cynical, I’d say it’s something that could’ve been eradicated a long time ago. But thanks to the wealth of products (syrups, medicine, and all kinds of gadgets), it keeps hanging around, generating a substantial amount of money that some people seem to think they can’t live without. I know, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but c’mon! Anyway.

The cold got to me last Saturday, and I felt like crap until Wednesday morning. That’s when the body aches began to fade, my nasal passages started to clear up a bit, and I felt my energy returning, kind of. Today, I’m still coughing a little, but I’m almost back to normal. This was my once, or sometimes twice, a year cold. I hope it’s the only one, and that my body stays clear until next year.

My schedule didn’t change much during this time, but I did give myself the chance to watch more TV than usual. I used that time to catch up on Slow Horses on Apple TV, a show a few people had recommended. I’d tried watching it a while ago but couldn’t get past the first episode. This time, feeling sick and low on energy, I just kept watching. I ended up going through a few seasons, and honestly, no regrets. The show is entertaining.

It made me wonder how many other good shows I’ve given up on too early, maybe because I was distracted, confused by the story, or just found the pace too slow. Which brings me to this: watching long-form content, or stories that take their time to unfold, is becoming harder. Our constant craving for stimulation (new stories, videos, images) makes it tough to stick with anything that doesn’t deliver right away.

I’m glad I kept watching Slow Horses. The first season is the best, in my opinion, but the whole show is solid. I connected with the characters and their peculiar personalities, from Jackson Lamb's greasy-haired defiance to Catherine Standish's quiet, unbreakable competence. I liked how the agents at the Slough House are treated as the underdogs, even though they’re clearly the most capable group in the whole MI5 setup.

Books are like this too. Though I’ve read a few where I kept thinking something great was about to happen, and it never really did. Sigh. Maybe that’s on me. Especially with fiction, the reader plays a role in making the book worth reading, or at least in finding satisfaction from it. Good stories make us look in the mirror. We connect with events or characters that feel a little like our own experiences.

Reading also demands focus and imagination. You have to picture what’s described, and that really enhances the pleasure of reading.

Right now, I’m reading In the Distance by Hernan Diaz, and I’m hooked. The writing is strong, and the descriptions help paint a vivid picture of the world, which adds so much to the story. You can really feel the decay, the pain, and the frustration that mark the main character’s journey east. I started it about a week ago and haven’t finished yet, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.

The thing is, good stories (like life) have dull moments. But if you hang in there and keep going, you might end up in that exciting place you were hoping for. That’s what happened with Slow Horses, with this book, and with my cold.

Hope you have an exciting and safe weekend!