Rest is a common enough theme for me at this time of year. This year though, I’m feeling a pull towards more. More rest? Certainly. But a different kind.
Even the weather agrees. Yesterday, it lashed down all day. Ag stealladh báistí you might say.
Today? Well look below.
It’s not that I was planning on a massively active day today, or anything. But when the weather agrees with my own inner feelings, my gut… sometimes it’s ok to listen.
Privilege
Yes, it is most certainly a privilege to talk about rest right now.
Iran. Ukraine. Yemen. Gaza. Sudan. And so many others. (Yes that line is copied directly from my threads post yesterday!)
The people in those places, and many places in the US, I’m not forgetting ye, can’t afford to rest right now. They have a fight to wage. And they’ve been waging it – for years in some cases.
So, when I say I’m recognising my privilege, I mean it.
When I’m talking about rest for me right now, I’m talking about the space before stepping back in. The stillness in allowing flow, rather than forcing issues.
I’m thinking about space that comes before the action.
So what rest do I mean?
The earth is still resting for the year. Oh, we can see the signs of growth, the small green shoots coming up, the signs of life returning after the stillness of the winter.
(Although “stillness of winter” isn’t too accurate in Ireland!!)
And if, like me, you have been resting over the winter and are now looking to do something, you might be thinking “more rest????”
Fair. But listen to me a while.
For those of us not currently in an active war zone (ahem… “active” and “warzone” are open to interpretation here, side eyes to a certain Turtle Island government) we can take time, regroup, and then be ready to step in.
It might not be an option for you in your whole life, but maybe there are parts of your life that you can use this time for rest. Maybe you need to think about areas where it’s just not the time to be pushing right now.
There are areas of my life where pushing, chasing, forcing issues – it’s just not the right time.
It’s still time for planning, preparing the ground, resting.
Examples?
I want several things to happen this year in work. But now isn’t the time to chase them.
- a promotion for a team member
- knowing what my bonus and merit increase is
- what are the plans for the business in the coming 2-3 years
I already have an idea about timelines for all of these and while I might want to know, right now, right this second, there’s no point in forcing this issue.
But areas I can move forward on:
- my personal activities in work
- gathering evidence to support my promotion activities
- taking the next logical steps for the current ways the business is going
It’s amazing how, no matter how many different businesses I work in, I see the same patterns for the year…
It works in my personal life as well. I can’t force us buying a house. But I can make the daily steps that will lead to that at some point in the future.
I can take a rest from relentlessly pushing forward on my spiritual path, but still take the time to assimilate and bed in the learnings and changes so far.
It’s ok for an activity or a time to not look productive.
Rest as an act of rebellion
Again – this is privilege.
But rest, time spend not being productive can be an act of rebellion in a world that demands productivity at all times.
Time spent assimilating and re-grouping before the next round of activity is not laziness, not evil. It’s essential.
And it’s a lot easier for the various “bodies” (government, societal, religious, political, etc) to control us when we don’t give ourselves time.
Our minds and bodies need time to rest. Need time to not be productive. Not be a willing cog in the machine.
As women, we carry a lot. (It’s multiplied by Black women, women under oppression, women in war zones… intersectionality, remember???) And sometimes, even a single deep breath can feel like an immense act.
I get it.
But think about where in your life you can rest right now. Where do you need time for assimilation?
What is it ok to stop pushing?
And simply… rest.