Rest rebelliously

If you are about to take some time off to enjoy the summer (or winter, depending on where you are in the world) then I wish you a wonderful break - or maybe I should not.

Taking a break, stopping, takes courage. Silence can be tough. Stuff can sneak up on you, at those moments. Things you had so skilfully managed to avoid.

So, if you are not only able but also choosing to take a break, I salute you.

Especially when you are aware of the privilege of having downtime, it can be tempting to add an extra layer of pressure (and because resting is simply counter-cultural, as Tricia Hersey razor-sharply describes in Rest is Resistance: https://thenapministry.com):

I háve to rest and recharge

I néed to bond with my family

I múst read up

I shóuld feel filled up, alive, sunny, and glowy, and of course most definitely, non-stop, 'be in the moment'.

I can, in the midst of summer, be overwhelmed by an intense feeling of loneliness. As if the 'whole world' is celebrating, being their happy shiny selves. While I just want to curl up, read a book, and stay inside.

It makes me feel sad and not good enough. Probably mostly because I think I shóuld feel differently.

So if you can this summer, rest rebelliously.

And possibly experiment with not putting any additional needs, pressure, and wants, on top. To embrace the tension, the both-and.

The pleasure and the numbness

The quiet and the irritation

The bliss and the pain 

The wonderful day at the beach and the sweaty, hungry, angry way back home.

Or, let's dial that down a notch (before our sweet little competitive hearts latch on to it and turn this into another challenge).

Maybe we can observe whether there are any short moments in which we see ourselves embracing the break and all that comes with it.

On to a nanosecond of non-performance.

Wishing you a 'both-and' break.

See you on the other side.