Rest Should be a Priority in Your Plan for 2023

I don’t want you to wake up one day and realise you’ve had it to your neck. So I am writing to myself and to you, to remind you that in a world where you can hardly catch your breath, where you are always one breath short of the very next event of your life, you deserve a sanity space. For yourself, and for the sake of the world you are trying so hard to save. You deserve some form of sanity, whatever that is. Whether it be a day off from work each week, a break from social media every week, or a chance to escape and let your artistic side come to the fore and forget your worries for a while. I say ‘weekly’ because I intend to emphasise a rhythm. Rhythm shapes behaviour and helps you stay consistent. A one-off retreat will not do it any justice. You need a daily, weekly and monthly dose of sanity and you need to build the attitude that gives you that sanity.?

Ultimately, you need a clear mind to think, so this year I hope you prioritize rest and being present for yourself and in your own life. I hope you build a community that will support you, and that you heal and become a better version of yourself. When you are healing, you will be amazed at what it feels like to be free from the burdens you have carried for so long. You will live life with lightness and wonder and love others fully. Again, I hope you build a community that stays with you through all the different stages of your life. I hope you become fluid to take and receive. ?I hope the hustle culture, the fast lanes and the individualism that announces itself each time you go out to the world do not consume you. I am rooting for you to find your rhythm and take your place in life. To operate in the God-given energy of productivity and sanity. To know when to stop and when to start again. To experience your emotions wholly. To be vulnerable and to find your own people.

Sometimes, there are distinct times between sowing and harvest. Other times, the differences are not so clear.?You need to master the art of rhythm so that rest becomes an integral part of the work. Rest is not only for harvest, rest is built into seed time and harvest. Harvest may require even more work. It does not make sense to assume that the right time to rest is after 50 years of hard work when you're done with everything. All of the foundational work of creation was done in 7 days, but it will take eternity to unravel, keep, water, nourish, and sustain it.

That is why God is seated on the throne. Not resting forever but flowing with us. Showing up when we need him most and bearing with us in our weakest moments. The point is, The point is, rest is part of the work. It is how God speaks to us. It is how we find inspiration. It is where we decide to do better work the next week. Rest is the place. You have heard that you should be hardworking this year. In all your hard work, factor in rest.

For me, spending time in nature every weekend and taking the time to write about the most striking thing from the week - good or bad - gives me this release. I invite you to join me in this world, where you can let your guard down and experience the purest form of humanity. Allow yourself to feel everything that you need to feel. I don’t want you to burn out.

?Welcome to my Sanity Stop. I'm starting this again this year, and this is the first of many newsletters that will be cheering, heartbreaking, confusing, motivating, tiring, and everything in between.

Sincerely,

A fellow wayfarer