My daughter convinced me to go on vacation to the seaside: “All inclusive, Mom, you won’t have to do a thing.” I paid for the tickets myself. Upon arrival, I discovered I’d be staying with my grandchildren, while she and my son-in-law would be in a different building.

I think about swimming in open water, never looking back towards the shore, and how for the first time in a long time I felt free.

I still love my daughter.

I still love my grandchildren.

And if Anna ever calls me asking for help, I’ll probably say yes.

But now I am sure of one thing: helping the people you love and forgetting about yourself are two completely different things.

No one, not even the closest and dearest person to me, has the right to decide for me how I should spend my holidays and to whom I should dedicate the most precious moments of my life.