Rest to Reset: From Responsibility to Rest WOW By Char
Illustration of two friends talking and relaxing, Mar. 21, 2022. Designed by Chardonnay Beaver.
Rest awhile & count your blessings – Tony Starkovich
Have you ever seen a turtle operate in a state of urgency? I know I haven’t. It’s rare for turtles to hurry. In fact, tortoises only travel between 300 meters to 100 kilometers per day– which is barely half a mile. I believe turtles are masters at simply being.
I bet you’re probably thinking, “duh, they’re good at just being. Turtles are sea creatures that don’t have taxes to pay and mouths to feed.” And to that point you’re absolutely right. However, the nature of turtles mirror principles that can change our lives immensely, if applied.
At times, we assign ourselves responsibilities to urgently achieve. Those responsibilities are just further methods to enable our “doing” and lack of “being”.
Responsibilities can sometimes crowd the act of rest. If we're not careful we’ll create systems in our lives that understate rest. In short, we’ll create systems that won’t sustain our wellbeing.
Like food and water, rest is an essential component of a sustainable lifestyle. Rest is the act of just being. In short, resting isn’t just an act of doing, but a state of being. When we rest we can’t abide in worry, rather we strive towards who we need to become.
For example, the principle of rest requires intentionality. One should begin to prioritize rest when creating systems to fulfill their responsibilities. This can be achieved by allocating time for rest within one’s schedule.
Resting, while fulfilling your responsibilities is doable. At first, rest might include one dining in for lunch instead of ordering to-go. This requires one to sit-down, be present, and occupy the time set intentionally for eating– instead of urgently rushing to return to your office to check your emails or call your bank.
I emphasize the importance of rest because rest reminds me to count my blessings. In fact, I am someone who loves being able to “do” what I do. Fulfilling tasks that serve people is transformative. However, at one point, the urgent demand to “do” was starting to irritate me. I started to view my responsibilities as burdens, rather than blessings. My body would often warn me with signals of fatigue. At the time, I had created a schedule that understated rest and prioritized responsibility.
I’ve learned that rest is an essential ingredient to success. Creating a lifestyle that understates rest can not sustain your wellbeing.
Words of Wisdom by Char of the Week: Rest is necessary in order to fulfill your responsibilities. Rest keeps us in a constant state of gratitude. Responsibilities, without rest, keeps us in a state of fatigue. Psalms 68:19
