I loved "The Lost Apothecary"! I hope that you do too!
Man, I hear you about the whole "rest" thing. I grew up in a family where, I kid you not, dinner prayers usually began with "Thank you, Lord, for a productive day", with some minor variations to keep it from getting too rote a recitation. I worked three jobs after graduation in order to pay off school debt. I cannot remember a time I was not actively hustling, whether employed or not. Even now, I have six littles to take care of--slacking is not an option. But rest? Rest is imperative. Even though it's difficult for me to unlearn a lifetime of pressure, I took the lesson to heart enough to allow a kid to stay home from school for a "mental health day", if they need it. Breaking the cycle in small ways, I think. I only hope that, culturally, rest becomes more of a norm than a rebellion.
Thanks, Paula! I think the pandemic is waking us up to our own toxic productivity, so at least there's some positive to take from it. It's hard to remember how important rest is, and for those of us raised to believe our value came from our productivity, we have to be vigilant about it. Glad you're doing that. :)
I loved "The Lost Apothecary"! I hope that you do too!
Man, I hear you about the whole "rest" thing. I grew up in a family where, I kid you not, dinner prayers usually began with "Thank you, Lord, for a productive day", with some minor variations to keep it from getting too rote a recitation. I worked three jobs after graduation in order to pay off school debt. I cannot remember a time I was not actively hustling, whether employed or not. Even now, I have six littles to take care of--slacking is not an option. But rest? Rest is imperative. Even though it's difficult for me to unlearn a lifetime of pressure, I took the lesson to heart enough to allow a kid to stay home from school for a "mental health day", if they need it. Breaking the cycle in small ways, I think. I only hope that, culturally, rest becomes more of a norm than a rebellion.
Thank you for the "Dear Writer" column!
Cheers!
PMC
Thanks, Paula! I think the pandemic is waking us up to our own toxic productivity, so at least there's some positive to take from it. It's hard to remember how important rest is, and for those of us raised to believe our value came from our productivity, we have to be vigilant about it. Glad you're doing that. :)