Dysentery
The more I get to know my body, the more I love it. Its fascinating how all the parts work together, varied in their design and function, yet all committed to the well being of the whole (defined as . Take the leg, on its own, not so impressive. Put two together and you have half an animal.
Then there's the mouth. Its a big round hole that pie and ice cream and whole chickens go in, never to reappear (usually). Sounds come out of the mouth, usually in the form of insults or complaints but occasionally pleas for favors or love. There's the brain, which if I am to believe what I see on TV, is a blue pulsating blob that shoots electricity. There's a bunch of organs inside the chest, like the liver, the lungs, the veins, the small and large stomachs, and the recently discovered Q-zone. And there's also reproductive organs, strange fleshy things, perhaps the only part of my body that could exist successfully on its own.
Recently I got food poisoning after eating some very suspect chinese food I found lying on the ground in front of a gas station. It tasted as suspicious as it looked, but I figured the taste was just the result of enough MSG to stop my heart. Then I woke up in the middle of the night raced to the bathroom and immediately started puking. I puked and puked and puked and puked and puked. Then I was done, and instantly had to switch ends so I could shit and shit and shit and shit and shit. This went on for about 12 hours. Wow was it gross. I mean gross, if anyone had to witness that, they would be permanently unable to eat vomit or shit again.
But I've walked away from this experience with something. Bodies are complex organic systems. Once you ingest a pathogenic life form or toxin, the useful bacteria in your intestines all die, the homeostasis gets fucked, sweet and sour pork shoots out your ass.
All these contraptions sloop along their merry way keeping me alive, and I never notice them so hard at work. Whenever I do anything I never stop to think, time to stand up, better use the old spinal column.
The only time you do notice your body is when its broken. When you get sick, or mangled in car crash, or get your dick stuck to your kitchen window. It takes snapping bones and melting flesh for me to be aware of myself as an animal.
I don't know why this is so interesting to me, It just is.