Journalled on Friday, 20th of February 2026 | Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 30 degrees, hot, sunny and slightly overcast.
It is Friday, exactly one week since my tooth extraction, and today I take the last of the medicine.
Carnival has filled Rio’s streets, but my week has been much quieter than the city around me. From last Friday to this Friday, it’s been carnival, and I have worked and stayed home more than anything else.
I went out once or twice to walk around the surrounding neighbourhoods. Street parades passed through the area, and crowds of people were revelling in the streets, joining the processions or making their way to and from them.
With only a few classes on Thursday after Carnival, I have had more time to focus on my blog and YouTube channel.
My mornings have been reserved for exercise, swimming and some skipping. My early-morning routine has changed a little, replacing skipping with swimming, which is both good and bad.
The change is good because swimming is excellent exercise, and this is probably the first time in my life that I have done it regularly. I swam reasonably well at school as a child, but that was 40, almost 50, years ago.
Since then, in my adult life, I have swum occasionally in the sea or in a pool, but never regularly or seriously; now, for the first time, I am, and I’m enjoying it.
The bad part is that swimming is replacing skipping.
Sometimes I manage both, but it is difficult. It is a reminder that our time, energy and resources are limited. We cannot do everything to the fullest, so choosing one thing often means giving up another, at least for a while.
I love skipping, and I’m reasonably good at it. In some ways, I think it is more effective than swimming. However, while I am living in this condominium, it makes sense to make the most of the swimming pool while I’m still here.
At weekends, I can usually fit in both: skipping first, exercise next, then swimming to cool off. But the precise routine matters less than continuing to move. They are all good for me, especially at my dinosaur age.
Most men my age have given up or do far less than I do, so if we commit ourselves daily, we are already profiting.
The intensity depends on our mood, condition, and how we feel each day, but at least we are doing something. Perhaps this is what life is really about: doing something, especially something that helps us improve, directly or indirectly. What matters is not finding the perfect activity or path, but continuing to act.
Whatever we do will bring obstacles, problems, and setbacks, but they’re part of the game and the process, and ultimately test whether we pass. If we pass the test, we move to the next level. If we don’t, we stay where we are until we find a way through. Otherwise, we keep hitting the same brick wall until we learn to improve, adapt and overcome it.
We supposedly learn through mistakes or suffering, and mistakes often bring some form of pain. If we are wise, we eventually become better people.
Life is brutal, and whatever we choose will be hard in one way or another. Every path brings consequences and some form of suffering, directly or indirectly. In the end, it is a question of acceptance, getting your shit together and facing reality as it is.
Be kind and be happy. If you cannot be happy, still be kind, but never be naïve.
After a quiet week of recovery, work, exercise and reflection, I was in bed by 10 p.m.
Thank you for reading. Have you ever had to set aside one good habit to make room for another? Share your thoughts in the comments, and please explore my other posts.
Richard
