Guilt-Free Rest

I used to feel guilty for resting. Most of my adult life was a constant go, go, go.

In college, if I spent some time relaxing or having fun, it felt like all the things I should  be doing were hanging over my head like a little black rain cloud.

And then when I taught school for seven years (and tutored in the evenings to help make ends meet), summers off were spent planning the next school year's activities.

For the longest time, I associated busyness with rightness.

If I'm busy, I'm doing the right thing, I thought.

And then...

I got married and moved to rural New England.

Being newly married and in a new town, my schedule came to a huge halt - and for the first time ever in my adult life, my calendar had a LOT of white space in it!

Was I relieved?

Nope.

I felt guilty. I felt like I should be doing.

But at the same time, deep down, I think I knew I didn't really have to be busy. I started noticing my guilty feelings, and I started challenging them.

And then I came across the concept of slow living.

Ah...slow living: the breath of fresh air that I needed!

Slow living has meant different things to different people over the years, but basically it's the concept of taking slower approaches to aspects of everyday life.

Finding out there was a whole movement and lifestyle that recognized that busyness didn't necessarily equal rightness was SO exciting to me, and it helped relieve a lot of that false guilt I was feeling.

While it's true that sometimes in life we just have to move quickly to get something done, it's also true that if taken as a way of life, constantly going and never resting will eventually drain your strength and keep you from being able to do the things that need done.

Everyone and everything needs seasons of rest. I mean...look at all those adorable critters that hibernate every winter! And speaking of winter, in many parts of the world nature itself takes a break and rests.

It's time to give yourself permission to rest. It's time to stop feeling guilty for taking things slower.

Rest, recharge, and refuel.

And while you're at it, check out the online gift shop! It's filled with things that'll remind you that it's okay to stop, slow down, and enjoy the little things.