Spending a week in bed seems wasteful. There is so much going on in the world no matter where you are that being cooped up with a pounding head, burning throat, and aching body seems wasteful. After all, I am in more special situation than most, in which I only have 11 short months to experience this part of the world. I have under 50 weeks here, so to spend one staring at the four walls of my bedroom is wasteful, but alas, you cannot control when your body gets hit by sickness. In the end, you have to accept the fact that this may be your body telling you that you're doing too much. Last week was Thai Sports Week, and I sort of ran myself dry. I watched the potato sack races, the tug o’ war games, danced around during the concert, and so much more. I wanted to do everything and see everything (which just so happens to be a symptom of my existence), so I think I may have run myself dry. I honestly think this is the same reason I got sick so often during high school: I wanted to do everything, so I did. In theory, this is a wonderful idea, but in reality, it leaves you weak and exhausted. Being in Thailand has taught me how to step back from things. When it's all getting too hectic, I take a step back and prioritize what is truly important for me in that moment. I balance my desires with both my physical and mental health. It sounds like an easy thing to do, but it's far more difficult in practice than in theory. Honestly, I haven't gotten that good at it if I'm still getting sick because of it, but I have definitely come a long way. All we can ask for is to be better than we were yesterday, both physically and metaphorically.
Sam
Sam