image from justbesplendid.tumblr.com
After months of working pretty much non-stop, I finally am taking a day off. Maybe even two.
I need to rest up, recharge, and reconnect. I need to snuggle Lucy do a mountain of laundry, clean out my closet and finally get the flowerbeds the spring attention they deserve. I need to hang out with Coach, make some calls to the friends I have been neglecting, write some notes and make some food. Then, I need to have a glass of wine and read something that was actually printed on actual paper. I might also need to nap or bake something. Or both.
Need.
It sounds like a big word for a list of such mundane tasks. But I really mean it. Outside of the obvious: food, water, shelter, we each have a larger set of needs. One set for just being humans: love, connectivity, touch, intellectual and emotional stimulus, physical activity, sunlight and a varied and nutrient rich diet. And one set for being us.
Each of us has our own personal set of needs that help us be who we are in the very best way possible. This helps keep us engaged, and balanced and nourished. It helps us grow and be strong. I can tell when I am only getting my 'human' set of needs met and not the rest of my needs. My 'Leigh' set of needs. I feel wonky and unhealthy and usually a bit crabby. I don't feel brave in the world or totally prepared.
Sometimes my human set and my 'Leigh' set intersect. For instance, sometimes my 'intellectual and emotional stimulus' may match up with my need to watch sappy romantic comedies or re-read a Jane Austen novel. Or my human need for physical activity may bump into my “Leigh” need for being outside or in nature at least once a day. The lines are blurry. As they should be. The point is that they are both there to keep us balanced and really alive.
When we are working too much, or not giving ourselves the respect and care of taking some time to check in on these needs we can get depleted. So when I say 'rest' I mean it both literally (good sleep, down time etc.) and as attention to the other things. Getting to the rest. Because the rest is just as important.
What is your 'rest'?
xoxo
I call “rest days” my “woosaw day”. Its a chance for me to breathe and do whatever I want to do. I love a day with no agenda, just a simple little kind of free. 🙂 … They normally involve coffee on the porch, driving around with the windows down singing, tackling some home improvement project, aimlessly wandering around Target, wherever the day takes me! Oh and pedicures. Nothing says woosaw like a foot soak and a fresh coat of paint. 🙂
My “rest days” are the days when I can go for a run and get lost in the beat of my shoes hitting the pavement, and the beat of my iPod. On those same days, I’ll get lost in my piano music, and enjoy some much needed “together time” with my husband and dog. That sounds like an amazing day.
Leigh, so happy to hear you are getting some much needed rest! In addition to some good sleep (helped along with some Lavender linen spray and a warmed Lavender neck pillow) my rest is:
– Drinking a warm cup of hot tea or hot chocolate, while reading a good book, curled into my favorite chair.
– Sharing some wine and a home cooked meal with good friends.
– Watching movies with my cat, The Queen.
– Working in the garden and tending to my little green friends.
I’m coming to Massachusetts this weekend (from KY) and am looking forward to visiting the new store and buying some goodies – it looks gorgeous! 🙂
L*O*V*E this. Thank you.
I love how you expressed your needs. So good to take care of ourselves.
xoxo
LOOVe this photo! and the sandals too!