October 12

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A Time For Rest

By Odyssa

October 12, 2021


Winston Churchill, during the war, never failed to take afternoon naps. He held meetings in the early mornings and enjoyed his champagne and dinners in the late evenings. 

Graham Robb wrote a book, Discovery of France about peasants in the 19th century France. After the wine harvest, "these vigorous men will now spend the days in bed, packing their bodies tightly together in order to stay warm and eat less food. They weaken themselves deliberately."

These men recognized the working season and the resting season. 

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"It's an investment." This is what I tell myself whenever I work on a personal project that will be around for a long time. Some of these projects are writing on Medium, creating this website, and publishing books. They're time-consuming, tedious, and I do most of the work alone.

Thank goodness there's time to rest. Our circadian rhythm asks us to sleep; the body reacts when it can't work any longer. 

Since September, when I started working on my book (you may now download a sample for free here), I used most of my free time (aside from housework and taking care of the dogs) on it. As much as I want to say it's been fun, it wasn't like that. 

When I spend too much time writing, my head hurts, and it makes me fall asleep faster than usual. When the website stuff gets too complicated, it's defeating. That's when I know I need to stop or do something else. 

Resting Jackie. Dogs sleep a lot longer than us. Maybe that's why they're so enthusiastic all the time. Photo by the author.

Sometimes, we have to remind and ask ourselves to rest, respect what the body says, and to prepare for another season of toiling and motion. For the next 2 weeks, I'd like to relish in sleeping longer, spending more time writing, and practicing yoga again after two months of recovery.  

There really is a season for everything. 


Odyssa publishes stories in Medium. Be a Medium member by clicking here. To subscribe to her stories by email, click this.


Odyssa

About the author

Odyssa is a writer from the Philippines. She is the author of Like A New Sun Rising: A Collection of Poems on Love. When not working or writing at home, she's out walking their dogs. She enjoys traveling, practices yoga, gets lost in books and Korean drama. To her, making time for a daily practice or ritual is the best gift to one's self.

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