My dear friend,
How are you? I hope this letter finds you well. Me? Well…I did something amazing yesterday and I’m still affected by it. I rested. I stopped. I slowed down. For a WHOLE day!
I apparently don’t do that too often. Rest…let my body rest. If I were to be totally honest, it wasn’t much of a choice as my body demanded it.
this pause made me think of all the times I’ve seen doctors on TV-from cowboy shows to space travel shows- say that the patient needed “rest” and we, the audience, along with the shows characters would nod our heads and concur that this was the right thing to do.
But, in real life, when rest is prescribed we hear, “…don’t do soooo much…” or “…nothing extreme…” or “…maybe slow down a bit, a brief nap here and there…”. But never once would we consider actually resting! Stopping! Coming to a full stop!? Why can’t we hear this? Why is the actual message in my head, “If I’m not in need of actual hospitalization I need to keep going,”?
But getting true rest and being lazy are two completely different things. I need to tell myself that these are not the same. Rest is needed for the body-even rest while in a wakeful state. Rest isn’t exclusively the realm of sleeping. And so, I have discovered that I’m capable of a ten-episode-binge-watch of a mediocre television show with no visible signs of fatigue. Even though this experience was not my intention, rest was my outcome.
Unintended or not, something happened at the conclusion of my restful time. I could feel my body changing from a weakened state to one of…gratitude. I felt my body actually sigh…it needed that rest. And honestly my body shouldn’t have to thank me for something it needed. I should not be giving it rest at a minimal level but as a standard of care–at a generous sustaining level.
Rest. This is one more way I am reminded of my very-human-non-mechanical self. And yet, with all this self congratulatory reflection I wonder…will I let myself rest like this again?
This thought makes me laugh out loud.
Well my friend, until we meet again, will you please take good care of yourself? Will you rest?
Joyfully,
Tivesse
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