I Wrote This At 4am Sick With Covid [2021] «Best • 2025»

If you are reading this while staring at a screen at 4:00 AM, nursing a warm mug of tea, and waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in:

I have tried to sleep. I have done the ritual: thepillow fluff, the water glass, the careful arrangement of limbs. But the fever has other plans. It wants me awake. It wants me to think. i wrote this at 4am sick with covid

While waiting for the NyQuil to kick in, I have had several profound revelations. I am writing them down here so that when I am healthy again and embarrassed by this article, I cannot delete them. If you are reading this while staring at

There are two types of people in this world: those who sleep through the night, and those who have stared at the ceiling at 4 AM while their lungs feel like two bags of wet sand. It wants me awake

"COVID doesn’t sleep, so apparently, neither do I. If you’re seeing this, go back to sleep for both of us."

Eventually, the dark blue outside the window starts to turn grey. The birds start to chirp, oblivious to the fact that you haven't slept. The 4 AM fever dream begins to lift, replaced by the mundane reality of another day.