The Work of Rest
I've mentioned this already, but my theme for the year is: rest and receive. Sounds easy, right? Well, not for me.
For me, I have to deepen the work of contemplation, deepen the work of sitting with myself, deepen the work of play, deepen the work of bounty.
As I've experienced the world, it seems that, collectively, we are not good at sitting with ourselves. Being still and noticing our thoughts. Sitting and observing our minds bounce around like Forest Gump's ball as he played table tennis. And then addressing the thoughts and emotions that come with noticing how remarkably restless our minds can be.
Paradoxical? Yes. But most truths (all truths?) are. Truths describe reality and thus are a combination of many things. Truths hold apparent contradictions - such as how the birth of a child can be so painful and yet so astoundingly and transcendently beautiful.
A life well-lived holds space for tongue-tying beauty and knee-buckling heartache. They co-exist. It is this AND that.
So too, rest, is multi-faceted. True rest requires consistent, whole-hearted work. Rest is mysterious and miraculous. Rest can mean solitude, sleep, play, exercise, dance, visual art, cooking, crafting, wood-working, building, writing, music, star or cloud-gazing, cuddling, a leisurely dog walk, tending to plants, making a video or film, playing a board game, reading, bird-watching, foraging for mushrooms, cleaning, or arranging your house just so.
Rest often looks different in different seasons and is thus a moving target to attain. This attainment of rest takes work - work to listen to your spirit, to observe your moods and bodily communication, to try new patterns and takes on prior behaviors. Habits are hard to forge, and yet, they must be forged. Forging takes work, persistence, and even discomfort. Yes, getting to rest can take discomfort in the short-term. Work is often uncomfortable, but oh so rewarding. Work pays dividends for our future selves - financial security, more wholesome and authentic relationships, better physical capacity and health, better beliefs and behaviors, and more genuine rest.
Genuine rest is important. Most of us don't feel that good just because we take breaks from being productive. Most of us don't feel that great after mindless TV binging, social media scrolling, a night out drinking, or refined sugar and deep-fried food over-consumption. Our breaks from productivity cultivate rest when they align with our authentic needs. We feel more rested after time in nature, laughing with a friend, crying out our hurts, a leisurely neighborhood stroll or jog, a long undisturbed night's sleep, or taking in our favorite song, yet again.
Detaching from productivity in meaningful ways opens the door to broad perspectives that welcome in magnificent paradigm shifts of contentment, joy, hope, love, and creativity.
What does rest mean to you?
How are you at practicing rest?
What are your rest practices?
Have you experienced the tastes of contentment, joy, hope, love, and creativity that awake from deep rest?
What steps can you take to deepen your rest this week?
May you always see the blessing.
-esb