A week slept away. I don’t know, as my annual trip is about to end, so I decided to let myself go a little wild. No plans for the week. No to-do list for my days. Waking up whenever I want to. Last week was pretty relaxing.

I finally finished reading my book Long, Long Dating, and came to a quiet end of something—I’m not even sure what. Maybe the First Book Embarrassment?

Still, I haven’t started my next book yet, and I don’t feel like editing my past writings either. I let myself be, and try my best to enjoy the last bit of my vacation.

Letting Go Into Slowness

The highlight of last week was not finishing my book, but allowing myself to swim.

I’m not a good swimmer. I had planned workouts and running for every week, but the pool is only five meters away from my bed, and I am leaving very soon. Suddenly, I felt like I needed to swim more. I ended up wanting to swim all day.

I swam every day until one morning I woke up with an annoying pain. I had been wearing my swimsuit for too long every day, and my skin became uncomfortable. That pain kept me unsettled at night, and I had to stop swimming and get some medicine. It wasn’t serious, but it was very annoying.

I had just started enjoying the pool and seeing some progress in my swimming, and suddenly my body gave up on me. I felt frustrated, but other than slowing down and taking care of my skin, there was nothing I could do.

So I googled some daily care tips and tried to nurse my skin back to a healthy state.

A few things I learned:

• After swimming, try to dry your skin as soon as possible and keep it clean and dry to reduce irritation and infection risk.
• If there is any allergic reaction or skin issue, use the appropriate treatment—different conditions like fungal or bacterial infections may require different medication.
• Use the medication properly and consistently, and complete the full treatment cycle instead of stopping once it feels better.
• Support your skin and immune system with a balanced diet, especially food rich in vitamins and nutrients that help recovery and overall immunity.

Luckily, by the time I’m writing this, I’m back to being happy and healthy again.

What Illness Teaches Me

Every time I get sick, I start thinking more about real happiness and the essentials of life.

I realize again that staying healthy is the most important thing for living a happy life.

It doesn’t mean we will never get sick, but by taking good care of our body—sleeping early, eating well, and drinking enough water—we reduce the chances.

And being frustrated when we are sick doesn’t help at all. What helps is patience, trusting the body to recover, and getting enough rest.

Daily Care, Not Only Crisis Care

Another lesson is that health is not something you take care of only when you’re sick.

It’s something you maintain every day.

For example, if I dried myself properly right after swimming, the chance of getting skin issues would be much lower.

But humans also need those small challenges to test their limits and learn.

I’m not complaining. Every crisis—physical or mental—is a chance to learn better choices and gain wisdom.

Closing

All in all, Week 17 was pretty relaxing, and it feels like the kind of life I want to live.

How has your life been lately? Good, bad, or full of ups and downs too?