...on being sick

Personally, I don't ever realize how grateful I am to be a healthy human being (well, as healthy as I am) until the times that I get sick. When I am sick, I feel sorry for myself and vow that I will do the best I can to take care of myself. But it seems that every time I get over being sick and I am back to my normal self, I forget about what it felt like to feel horrible and I continue to go through life without taking basic precautions, such as wearing the appropriate layers of clothing or getting the right amount of sleep. Today, I did not go to school due to my sickness, and I would just like to record my thoughts so that I can remember them instead of always forgetting how I feel afterward: taking care of yourself should be your first priority. Previously, my priorities were always work and success above all else. But now, I know that health matters the most. Without the ability to take care of oneself, how will other things in life get accomplished? By being in a healthy state—physically and mentally—everything will be able to be completed at a higher productivity rate. When I am an adult, I don't want a messed up sleep routine because I didn't get enough sleep during my teenage years. In a couple of years, the homework assignments that I didn't do won't matter. What matters is the person that I will become. I have to learn that it is okay to sacrifice not doing an assignment for better sleep. It is okay to not go to school for a day in order to re-energize. I would rather take care of myself in the long run than fret about things that won't matter in the future.

j.j.

[happy valentine's day!]