The survivorship starts just months after my birth and I don’t even know about it, yet because I’m an infant what would I know, yet it is a story that I would hear about since it is history of my life. I would look at other families and ask why is my family not like others we only have a father, no mother and then one day when I’m old enough, I would be told the story of the flight that changed my very life to the core. And I wouldn’t even know about it until I’m old enough. Funny how, it is just statistics to others funny how, it is just a number to others (290), funny how, to others it is just a mistake that they fail to acknowledge the graveness of it all, yet for me and 289 other families this means never again speaking to our loved ones not even having closure to say goodbye to them because they were turned to dust as soon as they realized they were in danger. Yet I survived Iran Air flight 655 I could have been the 291st the changing of the numbers could not matter in the reporters’ tongues as they said it, yet, it would matter so much to my family as my mother’s generation would have a full stop to it. I would be the last of this lineage.
Then I go on to be a drunk! Abusing other drugs as well. Another uphill battle for most people, but more especially me. It drowns my sorrows for the night yet when I wake up in the morning my troubles are not any less, they are still the same as they were yesterday, greater even because now I even have bruises I cannot account for. This too I survive! Leaving behind a couple of friends who I got to know in this period of drunkenness. However, I am committed to help other people who would want to survive this as well. Just a slip up would take me back to where I begun the survival journey, just a glass, a puff, and it would all come back as if I didn’t just survive it.
10,000 people mourn the loss of the 290, others at home… whose grief won’t allow them to go anywhere. Others, like me would come to learn about the life changing trajectory later in their life and the story of their survival! It would edge long life questions of many what ifs? What if it was just 289, and my mother wasn’t there. What if it was 291 with me included. What if? What if? What if?
On the verge of dying from a mistake, yet I survived. Why me? I can’t answer. At the verge of cirrhosis yet once again I survive. Don’t ask why again. I have no answer for you. I have carried the survival guilt with me. Yet it is edged in my mind clearly that if i did not survive, i would not be enjoying this life where I have a dog, a partner, the art all around, and a story of a survivor, to tell the world about the 290, to bring to life Iran Airflight 655. To live in a world where a book with a name like mine is on the airline’s bookshop and is a miracle in itself which wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago.
Survival carries immense weight, but continuing to live just might be the bravest act of all!
The above is a slice of what we’ve got coming this weekend — a double feature exploring grief, survival, addiction, and mental health through literature and conversation.
• Saturday — Book Discussion | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Sunday — Mental Health Webinar Discussion with Joyce McIntyre | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
All events are virtual so dont blame fuel price. See details and links in event page
Through enchanted kingdoms, dangerous bargains, impossible heists, and cursed destinies, next month’s fantasy poll promises obsession, betrayal, romance, and worlds impossible to forget.
🗡️ Quicksilver — Callie Hart : In a brutal world where survival demands sacrifice, a sharp-tongued heroine becomes entangled with a mysterious warrior whose secrets could destroy them both. Dark magic, forbidden attraction, and deadly choices collide in this addictive fantasy romance. Dangerous, emotional, and utterly consuming.
🌹 A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas : After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is dragged into a magical realm ruled by beauty, curses, and terrifying power. What begins as captivity soon becomes something far more dangerous — and seductive. Lush, romantic, and spellbinding.
🩸 A Fate Inked in Blood — Danielle L. Jensen : Blessed by the gods with forbidden magic, Freya finds herself hunted by rulers desperate to control her destiny. Torn between duty, prophecy, and passion, she must decide who she truly wishes to become. Fierce, mythic, and irresistibly dramatic.
🖤 Six of Crows — Leigh Bardugo : A criminal prodigy assembles six dangerous outcasts for an impossible heist that could make them rich beyond imagination — if they survive each other first. Packed with wit, betrayal, and razor-sharp twists. Gritty, clever, and unforgettable.
Four worlds of magic. One impossible choice. Prepare for betrayal, destiny, romance, and unforgettable adventures. Plus book boyfriend/girlfriend that finaly have wings (forget redbulls) 📖
Loading comments...
