“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… Including you.”
― Anne Lamott

This week I have been struggling to find something to write about that is new and fresh and not a rehash of previous blogs. I have wracked my brain for inspiration and have come up with nothing. I resorted to looking at quotes from various sources in the hope that something would inspire me. I found the above quote from Anne Lamott. She is an author’s author who has written several books about writing, my favorite of which is Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.

I have spent a lot of time this past week on serving others. I have run from committee meeting to committee meeting, written numerous emails, compiled a newsletter, attended a fund-raising event, and a grant-giving event. And I am exhausted. My brain refuses to come up with an original thought, and all I want to do is rest.

So for all of my readers who are over-extended, exhausted, and sleep-deprived, my gift to you and to myself today is to encourage us to rest, to unplug, to sit in the park or the backyard and enjoy watching the clouds and the birds. It is okay to stop for a little while and give ourselves permission to just be. Even if  life is filled with deadlines, it is important to love ourselves enough to stop – even for just a little while – and let ourselves unplug. In fact, it is absolutely essential for our health and our sanity.  

So today, I am not cleaning house or working in the yard or cooking a grand meal. I am resting, dozing in my chair, and giving myself permission to do nothing. I hope that you will do the same.

I found this poem by Kei which perfectly encapsulates our need for some slow days. Kei -2020

Kei -2020

slow days

it’s normal.
to have days where you just watch your thoughts reach and flirt with each other in the ceiling.
where you don’t turn that prompt into the opening lines of a poem.
where you’re left unprepared without your best outfit.

it’s normal to have days for sleeping in ‘til 4pm.
where you only tick off two items off your to do list and calling it a day.
where you take time in the shower to sift through your thoughts.

some days are meant for adoring the sky.
for accepting you’re infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things.
some days are meant to be slow.

“and it’s normal and you’re alright-or will soon be.”

Barbara Garland
May 2020