Ruminations on Resting
Friends!
It's summer. This past week, many of you took some time off. This coming week, we are taking time off to be with some of our kids on the East Coast for a wedding today (love and wishes to Kevin and Brianne❤️❤️❤️) and some relaxing times visiting with people and places we love.
I find myself reflecting, therefore, on RESTING. To riff a bit off of last week's post on the importance of words, I wanted to go a bit deeper on vacation, time-off, and the idea of "inter-mission." Partly because it really matters, and partly because I might be ranked among the world's most pathetic people when it comes to time-off. I am really trying to get better at it. I need to. But it is hard for me to turn off.
One way to think about rest is to consider the other meaning of rest. As in the rest – what remains. Rest literally means what you are left with after some form of separation. By definition, there must be a separation in order for there to be a rest. Separation is a good word here. Rest is a way of "separating" from your normal activities in order to give your system a break.
Biologically, humans need rest. We certainly need sleep. Far more consistent sleep than most of us are currently getting. Sadly. We also need nutrition. The right form of nutrition. We need quiet. But we also need an inter-mission. Particularly amidst today's constant barrage of information and work hitting us endlessly throughout the day (and night). It’s hard to find peace without pause.
It is the silence between the notes that makes the music.
And it’s not just us. All living beings actually need rest. “Burnout” is not exclusive to humanity. We have a similar problem in farming. One of our greatest challenges relative to climate change and health is the erosion of our soils. Some of that has to do with pesticides. Some of it has to do with aggressive tilling. But a lot of it has to do with monocultures and planting back-to-back crops without time for proper replenishment in the soil. In other words, our land also needs a rest. The notion of fallow is quintessential: the idea that you should occasionally rotate your lands and let them rest and not sow for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal is to let the land recover and store organic matter, while retaining moisture and disrupting the lifecycles of pathogens by temporarily removing their hosts.
The parallels to our lives and challenges couldn't be more relevant. We, too, need to restructure our lives to include a version of fallow. Intermittent fasting has become popular, for good reasons. By not eating, paradoxically, your microbes can do their own "eating" and actually repair and clean up internally in a process referred to as autophagy. So, fasting can be a very helpful way of "resting."
There is a broad body of research around the importance of recovery times. For every aspect of our humanity. I have no doubt about it. But our modern lives depend on our constant attention, so it requires real discipline and commitment to "get away." As with most of life, this is mainly about our own commitments to designing habits that work for us. We are the designers of our lives.
I feel that the blessings of technology outweigh its curses. I have written about that before. But I need to get better at turning those screens off. It's really difficult to get a complete rest from all the noise if they are constantly on. I particularly worry about the younger generation. How do we help them shut off?
For a few years now, I have tried to attempt some version of "digital Shabbat". For a period of 24 hours (doesn't have to be one particular day, even though the weekend seems best), I try to spend less time on my devices. I think it is a good idea. For me, writing newsletters published on Sunday morning wasn't the smartest choice I made...oh well...just have to get more disciplined in finishing them off Friday afternoon, which I am working on...
Below, I am linking to a great interview with Krista Tippett and Tiffany Shlain who wrote the book Tech Shabbat. I found the interview to be inspiring with how she and her family have navigated their commitment to a tech-free day of the week. She speaks honestly about both the challenges and benefits. Habits are shaped by a repetitive form of commitment. Particularly with children. If we do something repeatedly, they tend to find their own rhythm and, over time, they become the new normal. The best insight for me was that they "save" all their favorite "analog" things they love the most for Saturdays. Like reading real books, cooking long meals with friends, hikes, etc. If you fill your days with things you love, you won't miss your time with technology quite as much.
Next Sunday, I will demonstrate my ability to shut down. I won't be sending any newsletter. Please use those minutes for yourself. Meditate. Lie down. Breathe. Enjoy the wondrous presence of just being.
This book by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz inspired me decades ago on the importance of recovery when it comes to human performance. This is Dr Loehr's Human Performance Institute if you want to learn more
Here's to the power of intermittence! See you back on July 18th!
Enjoy the break!
