Everyone Needs More Rest (Three Acts)

Act 1

When it comes to mastering life, I know very little “for sure.” VERY. little. 

I do know one thing:

Everyone should rest more. 

Yes. Everyone. 

You. Me. Your mom. Your baby brother. Your boss. Your bff and your work nemesis. 

E V E R Y O N E should rest more. 

Act 2

Years ago, I got sick. The kind of sick that has a lifetime of serious implications. It sucked. If you’ve ever fallen into this category of sick, you get it. If you haven’t, trust us.

It SUCKS. 

There’s a “sunny side” to this experience now. One that took a while to recognize. And that’s okay. Massive changes are rough and I (you) deserve tender-loving-care.

One lesson I learned is that I didn’t really even know how to tender-loving-care myself. 

My sick body needed me. Honestly, it didn’t give me much of a choice. It gave me a healthy dose of fear and a deep desire to move my way out of it. 

My first instinct was to push my body harder.

That made me even more sick. 

My next instinct was to rest my body physically while berating my body mentally and emotionally for it’s ever-living failures. 

That, friends, did not help. 

I started to meditate on it. The practice helped me to stay present. And in the present moment, I noticed a deep, deep, deep exhaustion. 

In the present moment, my body hurt. My brain was fogged. And I was deeply, deeply, deeply tired.  

Once you become aware of a deep, deep, need, you start noticing things. 

More obvious things, like how maybe falling asleep everytime I tried to watch TV just meant maybe I should go to bed and get some deep, deep, deep sleep. 

More subtle things, like how my tendency to people please left me depleted. 

Very, very subtle things that I just don’t feel like talking about. 

Rest became my friend. Rest continues to be something I fall more deeply in to. Being present, being aware, opens doors. You might be surprised at how very little you have to “do” once you become aware and how very subtly the universe begins to conspire in your tender-loving favor. 

Act 3

Once upon a time, I got sick.

Rest is how I heal myself. 

Rest is where I find flow. 

Rest is where creation happens. 

Creation gives us wings.