As I looked back through my calendar, where I note down the highs and lows of each day, I couldn’t help but exclaim: What a great week I just had!

There were plenty of high notes that are still motivating me even now. I completed a tempo session in the rain, spent a wonderful afternoon with the Fanina Bookclub, and watched lots of World Cup matches on the rainy Sunday.

Last week was so good. But out of all these high notes, there is one moment I want to share the most.

Reading in the Rain

One morning, it was raining heavily, and I got up at 5:30 a.m. as usual.

As part of my customized 75-Hard challenge, one of my rules is to spend at least 30 minutes outdoors every day. I stood by the window watching the rain for a while, and then I decided to go for a short walk.

I took with me the only souvenir I bought for myself during my last trip to Japan—a transparent umbrella that I named “The Train.”

I put on a cute short dress, grabbed a book, and headed to the small park right downstairs from where I live. Wearing my Crocs, I stepped straight into the rain.

The morning was gloomy, but I felt incredibly happy.

There was almost no one outside. I held the umbrella in one hand and my book in the other. I read aloud while walking through the park in the pouring rain.

It had been such a long time since I had enjoyed the rain that much.

The last time I felt so joyful in the rain was last September when I was traveling alone in Tokyo. It rained frequently during that trip, and almost every day I went out simply to watch the trains passing by through the rain.

I have seriously come to realize that whether it rains or shines, we should always find joy in life.

That morning, while reading and walking in the little park, I saw only two cleaners and a few passersby rushing toward shelter. Standing in a city-center park at 6 a.m., I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratitude for being alive.

At that moment, I realized that no matter what happens, even on rainy days, I can still turn them into good days.

And in the future, I want to keep doing exactly that.

Finally, I feel like I’m learning how to live my best life—feeling blessed and loved even on the rainiest days.

I love mornings.

And I love getting up at 5:30 a.m.

When 5:59 Isn’t 5:30

Of course, a week full of high notes doesn’t mean there is no room for a low note. Life always finds a way to sneak one in.

Ironically, my low note was also related to my 5:30 a.m. challenge.

I started a new 75-Hard challenge in May with my own customized rules, and one of them is waking up at 5:30 every morning.

Then one Saturday morning, I woke up and saw 5:59 a.m. on my phone.

My first thought was that my alarm hadn’t gone off.

A few moments later, I realized what had actually happened.

At 5:30 a.m., when the alarm rang as usual, I had apparently told Siri to turn it off and then fallen back asleep.

Normally, I switch off the alarm and spend a few minutes stretching in bed before getting up. Within ten minutes, I’m usually opening the curtains, feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

But not that morning.

When I saw 5:59 on my phone, I felt genuinely upset.

Earlier in May, I had already completed 20 straight days of the challenge before having to pause for three days because I was moving. After restarting, I managed another 19 consecutive days, only to oversleep that morning.

It felt frustrating to be back at Day One again.

Standing there that morning, I kept trying to negotiate with myself.

“5:59 is still early, right?”

But the whole point of the challenge is self-discipline and self-honesty.

I couldn’t fool myself.

The rule was simple: wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day.

So I accepted it.

I gave myself a couple of days to reset and started again this morning.

The lesson wasn’t really about waking up at 5:30 a.m.

It was about being honest with myself.

If I couldn’t keep my own promise, then the challenge would lose its meaning.

So I chose to start over—not because I enjoy restarting, but because I still want to become the person who keeps showing up every morning.

Life Is Both

At this point, I know the challenge is no longer about how many days I can successfully complete.

This is already my fourth time attempting it since I first discovered the idea in 2024.

The real purpose isn’t the number.

The purpose is to build a life I genuinely want to live.

I don’t want these habits to exist only for 75 days. I want them to become part of my everyday life for as long as possible.

With every small task—or rather, every small ritual—I complete each day, I feel a little more grateful.

More grateful when I go to bed.

More grateful when I wake up.

More aware of how precious our time really is.

And because of that, I want to cherish it even more.

Failing a challenge can be frustrating. I think that’s true for everyone.

But documenting moments like this reminds me that life is always intertwined with highs and lows.

They exist together.

And perhaps all we can do is keep an open mind, accept whatever comes our way, make peace with it, and continue loving life for the beautiful thing it is.

I hope you had a great week.

See you next week.