a song speaking to my soul
words that made their way to me
i’ve been on spring break this week. it’s been such a gift to take time off + such a struggle to detox from the productive pace i’ve been living with for months. i knew i’d find it hard to set aside a week with the intention to rest, but i’ve noticed this deep need + now i can choose to receive. so, here i am, wrapping up this week, with lots of scattered thoughts around rest. i have so much more i want to explore, practice, and play with. i’ve wrestled with rest this week, but we’re becoming closer friends again. i think i’m going to keep them around while i return to work. here are the fragmented thoughts i’m ready to share around rest.
rest is for everyone. not for those who’ve accomplished the most, lived the longest, completed the to-do list, fill in the blank… when we create spaces for each other to be seen, it invites us to shift our senses into safety mode, where we can rewrite our stories with space to rest wholeheartedly. once our bodies can believe we belong (not just our minds:), we can name a new narrative for ourselves. then, we can co-create a communal narrative where everyone can rest. this takes place when we participate in our calling + live our lives with rhythms of rest.
rest is a privilege + not everyone has access to the safe levels of safety + security that create a climate to rest well. rest comes in limited access to those who are already oppressed. people with privilege have the opportunity to consider how the rhythms of rest in their lives impact those who have less access to rest. our rest can welcome others into the wealth of restful rhythms, or it can harm those who can hardly rest. our intentions around rest are important for the sustainability of our whole community. rest is a gift we can receive + then return to a neighbor in need.
rest is what lets us thrive in the midst of the unimaginable. rest is a way of being that resists the patterns of oppression, overexertion, + overproduction that consumes our culture. we need to reconsider the role rest plays in our lives if we want to support the long + hard work of helping heal our world in a sustainable way. the pace of productivity, performance, and the pressure to perfect everything easily exhausts us. rhythms of rest, whatever they are, rewire our brains + bodies to begin to believe again, we are more than what we do or produce. i don’t know about you, but i need these embodied reminders frequently.
rest arrives where belonging exists. i don’t have many words to communicate this, but i noticed this week how closely connected belonging + being (or rest) are for me. i imagine this is true for most people too. our sense of belonging gets bigger when we find creative ways to incorporate rest into our communities as a collective practice. i see a critical need in our communities for belonging before we can really rest, but they go hand-in-hand. belonging becomes when we commit to continually show up with a presence that proclaims the sacredness + importance of each person we encounter. we rest best when we feel we belong. intentionally connecting ourselves in our community creates space for many to receive rest.
rest is a rhythm i’ve been learning to love for a long time. i genuinely enjoy hearing others’ experiences with rest. if you’re interested or able, i would love to hear some of your story with rest. you are welcome to share in the comments or message me individually!
presence through pictures
a blessing for our being
as we wonder + roam, may we discover
rhythms of rest that work for us.
may our lives become lighter,
our day-to-day activities lead to delight.
may our home hold our hearts,
our families flourish in ways we haven’t seen.
may our minds find meaning in the mundane
our routines become reoriented to bring greater peace.
may our communities become closely connected
through habits that heal the whole of us.
what sparked your soul
i’d love to hear what surfaced for you while you were reading. did you notice something new? remember something significant? if you are interested and able, i’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments!