How will you gather the restorative wonder of rest?

Psst! I just thought you’d like to know that if you enjoy Tamara’s photos, you could get one for yourself! Tamara has donated one of her gorgeous photos to my daughter’s school auction. Check out her crazy generous offering here.

 

I really thought about postponing rest week. You see this week I’m counting down to the big 50th Anniversary Gala Auction (go here to see all the great on line offerings!) Celebration Event that happens THIS Friday AND I’m running as chairperson of the Steppin’ Out committee at my daughter’s school. I thought, “With all this, how can I even think about rest?”

Yes, in many ways this week is going to be mayhem. Last minute details, regrets about not having the time to do everything I want. I dare say I will not get as much sleep as would be recommended but even with all this, I will need some rest.

As Tamara’s cat friend shows us, a cat always has time for rest. We should too. OK, so it is not always realistic in our hectic, trying to get too much done, sort of existence to get a soul filling allotment, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t heed its call.

 

Respite poem
by January Handl

Sometimes the “over-drive” button
is stuck on my machine.
the lists of vital chores
waiting for the satisfying “check!”
begin to have a life of their own,
self-perpetuating busy-ness beyond
what my stretched-thin patience
and bone-tired body can
tackle with any shred of joy.

The artificial production clock
keeping a constructed time that seldom
matches the bio-rhythms
of my moon-tethered cycles,
forces coffee, chocolate and inner berations
of ego and self-image mis-matches
to override the heavy eye-lids
and weary yearnings toward
the hammock, creek or forest,
that wait to pillow my mind and dreams.

Then I see my cat self-snuggling
in a triangle of sunlight on the
softest part of the carpet,
or my dog lounging full length
on a strategic vantage point
on the porch, snoring and twitching
And I think:
even the jealous, vengeful He-god
of the old testament insisted
we take a day to rest,
so why do I self-shame myself
with comparisons to others,
work-ethic lashes from a whip
wielded by an economy that views
me as a simple cog inspired by greed,
enslaved by a notion of comfort
that I never quite taste
as I am too preoccupied sustaining
a tempo
bound to keep me from
this present moment?

I have to schedule some time to rest.

 

REST – a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquility

 
I think we get hung up when we think we must have eight hours of sleep or a specific amount of down time. What would/could happen if, like a cat, you could consider every moment a possible rest time? Maybe you don’t have time for a prolonged nap but a deep breath and a pause can do wonders too!

This week, our Bliss Initiative is to take the lead from our feline friends. Let’s lean towards the sun long enough to feel its warmth. Let’s meander a little circuitously, taking a moment to watch a passing butterfly. Let’s sniff and even savor our food before that first bite. Let’s lean into kindness and smile (if not purr) when close to someone who cares about us.

Watch for even tiny moments when a deep breath could make a difference. A bite slowly chewed, a vista admired, a moment of quiet savored, all are little nods to the power of rest. Gather as many as you can in a day and feel the restorative wonder.

How will you gather the restorative wonder of rest?