Rest

Dear friends, 

Recently I had been doing some bargaining with my body. It went something like this: 'We just have this event to do and then we'll rest. Oh, wait, I mean after this event and that other thing. No, after this event, that other thing, and also that other other thing, then we'll rest." Just before I got COVID, it was "Just stay well enough to get through the Holiday Bazaar and then we'll get some rest." I was worn down and I did actually have true down time scheduled, but it was a little too late. My body decided it was time to stop. 

This year has sometimes felt like riding a roller coaster in the midst of an earthquake- fast and whipping me around in both expected and unexpected ways. I signed up for the roller coaster; I didn't know the ground would be shifting beneath the ride. Using my Cards for Remembering, even after lots of shuffling, I regularly pull the card, "I listen to my body and SLOW DOWN when she asks me to." However, I didn't listen to my body and slow down nearly as often as the cards invited me to. And so finally my body said, "ENOUGH!" I have been moving slowly ever since. I have also been asking for support. These are steps toward restoration. 

Thankfully, I generally sleep well. But rest isn't just about sleep. Sleep is certainly one form of rest, a type of physical rest that my cats Ralphie (pictured above) and Patty Petunia have mastered. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith says that beyond physical rest (which can also take the form of active physical rest like yoga) there are 6 other types of rest we need: mental, sensory, creative, emotional, and spiritual. 

There are periods in my life when I practice rest and restoration well. This most often happens when I have structures and routines in place; it's already built into my life. During 2022 some of the structures I had built for myself shifted or dissolved. Feeling the difference and recognizing how important those structures are, I've been considering how and with whom I'd like to rebuild them. Preparing for tonight's Mapping Life workshop gave me time to reflect, dream, and plan, to prepare the internal structure. The building- external work-  will follow.

This is the work of winter: slowing down, going inward, resting, and preparing for whatever may wish to move through my more-rested and capable self.    

What about you?

Are you slowing down to the pace of winter?

What kinds of rest are you needing?

How are you tending to yourself? 

I'd love to know.