Borrelia Borealis

As the global pandemic rages on,

deaths in the United States have reached an all time high,

crossing the 2 million mark.

Tensions are high in Washington today

as lawmakers attempt to tighten up

a more coordinated national response.

As the Southern California Vincent Fire

overtakes Malibu and the West Hills,

residents fear the upcoming aggressive

and historically unpredictable Santa Ana Winds

will blow sparks, igniting other parts of Los Angeles.

The White House doctors today

said that immunocompromised people,

those with cancer, autoimmune disorders,

and the elderly, must be extra careful

as we enter the second wave.

Hi. Hi.

Hi.

Hi, it's good to see you.

Oh, it's great to see you Beth.

So, how was your weekend? What did you guys do?

Oh, you know, we had a quiet weekend here,

just a couple of movies.

I expect just, you know, the same thing as everyone else,

but we tried to layer in some, like, active time too,

- and went on a couple of walks. - Yeah.

No, like the garden, the garden that you guys,

you guys planted a garden, you... your, um...

your husband, I saw on Facebook.

He was, like, posting, like, when you

and your daughter like digging up,

like, you know, soil

and like planting tomatoes, like, oh, my God.

What a great guy he must be. Like, he is so handsome.

Oh, you are... Well, you're both lucky.

You're both very attractive people.

You're lucky to have each other.

I'm alone.

Thank you. Thanks Beth.

What about the walks?

Have you been taking any walks Beth?

No, if I got coughed on, like, I would die,

so I don't...

I don't want to go outside.

I... I can't see straight sometimes.

And, like, I don't, um...

It feels like someone's shaking me

and then it's like, everything kind of goes blurry.

But, I mean, it doesn't last very long,

but I just, like,

I just don't feel very stable.

I feel like I'm not doing anything else,

but trying to get better and I'm not getting better.

It is traumatic, in some ways,

in order to change the system around,

and it's changed the way it's functioning,

but it is necessary to do this

for a more prolonged lasting wellness.

My brain and my body are not...

connected.

The things we do experience, and the...

the trauma that... that affects us,

that it does affect,

and it does translate into the body.

You were bitten by a tick at the age of ten.

You want your life back. You want your life back.

I never had a life, though.

I never had a life to get back.

I want to start my life

because I've had this for 25 years.

So it's like I... I don't even have a jumping off point yet.

Unfortunately, back then,

there really were no Lyme literate doctors.

It wasn't a part of our vocabulary.

Look at it like this, Beth.

Early childhood trauma loads the gun

for chronic conditions.

Auto immune diseases like Lyme

pull the trigger.

Functional whole body medicine

has come a long way.

That's why we treat the body and the mind.

You can't have one without the other.

How has it been going talking with your parents?

Have you confronted them yet?

I believe you that this is hard

and this is not something I take lightly.

We've tried years of antibiotics, vegan,

Paleo, talk therapy and EDMR, support groups,

biofeedback and float tanks.

Nothing has brought your inflammation levels down.

Nothing.

Not confronting your parents,

it's making you sicker, Beth.

There's a house on a street by the sea...

with faded blue shingles, weathered to gray.

It's lights burning bright,

but never for me.

I have a question for you.

If you knew then,

when you were punishing me,

when you were... when you were hitting me with a belt

and the switch,

if you knew then

that it would make me grow up

to be someone...

who does this...

every day,

multiple times a day,

would you still do it?

Would you still do it?

I just want to know.

I have no self-esteem.

And I don't know if that was just by design.

Like, I don't know if you guys...

you guys did all that

so... so you would break me down

and I wouldn't have my own identity

and I would just follow your very strict rules.

I don't... I don't know if that was the desired effect.

Maybe it was.

Well, we all know I... I couldn't... I couldn't follow those rules.

I think that everything that you guys did to me

when I was a kid,

I stuffed down so deep...

until one day my body just let it all go.

And now we're here.

Who is this person?

Eddie. Eddie.

You want to talk so bad?

Hi, is this Beth?

- Yeah! - It's me, Eddie.

We have a date tonight, I think.

There's like 50 Beth Cs on here, shit!

Huh?

I'm supposed to... I'm supposed to be on this date,

a video date, uh, pandemic style.

Is this like some kind of troll thing?

No, I made a mistake. Honest mistake, okay.

I was chatting with this girl

on one of those free dating apps.

Mixed bag, you know?

Maybe I was meant to call you by accident. Huh?

You believe in fate?

Ooh, okay, yeah, I... I see.

So like, you're just like some, like, internet scam artist.

No. No.

We could all use a friend right now.

I don't have anybody to talk to.

- I was supposed to be out on a date... - Clearly.

And I wouldn't mind talking to someone

and... and I... I mean, if you don't mind,

I... I'd like to chat a little bit.

You know, I didn't mean to interrupt what was go...

I... I didn't mean anything like that.

I'm trying to... I'm kind of nervous.

I don't go on... on too many dates...

Oh, you don't say?

Oh, you're still here?

Are you okay?

I am not having a good day.

So, I'm really sorry that I...

No, no, I'm... I'm sorry, I clearly interrupted.

And, um...

Which was not my intention at all.

Listen, I mean, I don't know how long

this has lasted already,

but, I mean, we've come this far,

so, hey, why don't...

Hi, I'm... I'm Eddie, and, uh,

it's... it's nice to meet you.

Um, I'll extend my hand to you.

- There... There you go. - Okay.

- Okay. - So now we know each other.

I'm... I'm from... I'm from New England.

New England.

Are you a fisherman?

I do a little bit of fishing.

- Yeah? - I used to fish, I don't...

Like lobsters and shit?

I love to eat lobsters.

There it is.

You get the lobsters,

you get the lobsters from the boats.

- Lobsters. - I eat a lot of lobsters.

I can't have shellfish, man.

You're allergic to shellfish?

No, I'm not allergic, but I have...

So I have Lyme disease, and like,

there's all this shit you can't eat.

Like, I can't eat fucking anything.

Like, I can't have anything that comes in a shell.

I can't have beef.

I can't have coffee.

I can't have peppermint.

I can't have the cheese.

Oh, I'd fucking give my life

for one of those Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

You... You have really pretty eyes.

You're flirting with me, aren't you?