The Freedom of Rest

Rest… mmmm!

That sure does sound heavenly.

In a time where there simply are not enough hours in a day, the word “rest” sure sounds out of place. I mean honestly who has time to rest?

We need to work, work, work. Get up early, rush through traffic, skip breakfast – no time must hurry! Get the kids to school, avoid giving in to the temptation of road rage, rush to the office, I need to work, work, work. Wade through mountains of emails, get stuck into 20 things at the same time – multi-task, work, work, work.

Don’t break for lunch – eat at your desk. Don’t visit the loo unless you really have to, because we have to work, work, work. Drink too much coffee, eat too much junk food – no time to be healthy.

Oh no! Where has the time gone? Not enough work done – need to leave to fetch the kids. Rush, rush, rush. Dodge the crazy taxi’s, weave through traffic that looks like a mutant anaconda that stretches for miles. Get the kids, rush home, rush, rush, rush.

Slap some dinner together – whatever is quickest. It doesn’t matter if it’s healthy or not – no time to care. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I need to hurry and start working again. After hours. The world is quiet, except for the droning noise of my computer fan. I need to work, work, work. Get in a few more hours.

Fall into bed. Exhausted. Tightly wound like a spring. Wake up to the screaming siren of the alarm clock. So it starts again. Day in and day out. Eventually your body and mind separate. You become a mindless zombie following the orders of a cruel and relentless mind. The silent slave driver that cracks the whip of guilt on your weary back.

Faster, better, longer – no place for laziness!

Eventually your body revolts. Millions of cells working together to take back possession of the body. Suddenly you feel pain that you simply can’t explain. You fall ill with some strange sickness for no apparent reason. It takes far longer than normal to heal, to recover. That’s it… you have burned out!

To recover from burn-out is a lot more difficult that avoiding it, but some of us need to learn the hard way. (ouch!) There is only so much your body can take before it throws you off the bus. When you go tumbling down the embankment devastated by runaway fires, you may bump your head, crack a few ribs or inhale the toxic gases given off my the very last burning embers. Don’t go there.

Rest is necessary! Rest is good! Get enough rest and the “rest” will get sorted as it must.

Give rest to your soul, quiet your mind, forget about your problems and the stresses of the day. Take a time out. Retreat to the tranquility of your quiet place. Unwind, let your body relax. Jump into a hot tub, allow your breathing to be deep and slow. Get some good sleep. I’ve learned that there is no place like “la-la land.”

Your body speaks – listen! Rest and you’ll achieve more than you think!