Rest...You Deserve It!

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, February 28, 2025)

“Instead of asking, “Have I worked hard enough to deserve to rest?’, I’ve started asking, ‘Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?” - Nicole Jane Hobbs 

A dear friend of mine shared this quote with me in early February of this year. In the weeks following this message, I found myself overextended, exhausted, and many times just a shell of myself wheeling from one activity or meeting to the next. Many nights I found myself deep sleeping in my recliner or even on my hard physical therapy mat instead of making it to my nice, comfy bed. 

After spending upwards of twelve to fourteen hours a day in the seated position, it is very important for my internal organs to stretch out and do their thing, especially my kidneys. As a person with kidney stones and lots of inflammation and edema, I have to start being more careful in the hours I set aside to rest in the laying down position. When I rest lying flat, that is when my body can take my work of the day and swelling from all areas of my body and process it. This is especially needed on days after my physical therapy sessions that release lots of tension and swelling through massage and intense muscle training. Also my diet can trigger extra fluids, like when I indulge in more salty foods or caffeinated coffees.

In the first part of this quote there is so much truth of how I have lived my life. As Americans and for my heritage as a Scandinavian American, there is much intrinsic value and expectations put on hardwork and doing your best at everything you put your hand and mind to. These can be a great quality but if it is not tempered by rest and good self care it can leave you empty and unhealthy. 

One must work and work hard to have value, worth, and a place at the table. Disabled people must work four times harder to prove they have rights like their non-disabled counterparts. We must always be happy, appreciative of all help offered and given. We must always be inspirational. We are superheroes. All of these sayings are false and hurtful but that is what society tells us day in and day out without even knowing it. Ableism and distortion pop-up in so many of our scripts and ways of life.

The second part of this quote is where I need to lean in and change. “Have I rested enough?” I think we all know my answer to this. But we also have to come to a common definition of rest. It isn’t mindlessly watching hours of television or movies or playing games on my phone. Rest isn’t just lack of work. Let’s check in with our friend Webster to find the definition of rest.

Rest as a verb means: 

1. cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.

2. be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position.

Rest as a noun means:

1. an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity.

2. an interval of silence of a specified duration.

In the next month I plan to live out these definitions in these ways:

Verb 1: Read, sing and play my trumpet for fun.

Verb 2: Sleep in my bed every night and hang out on my dear friend’s couch as often as possible.

Noun 1: Pacing myself on busy physical and mental days by creating time before and after all events.

Noun 2: Being outside or at least away from all screens and chaos and noise of this world.

I found it funny and actually laughed out loud when looking up the definition of rest and completely forgetting the musical definition, since I am a retired music teacher. I desperately need quiet and time to be creative. Time to shut off the words and wants of the world and let my heart and spirit do the talking and wondering and listening.