The Rest of Winter

We moved from Maui to Big Island last month, and I'm finally - sort-of - coming up for air.

Even though Big Island is only a short distance from Maui, it was emotional to leave our cozy island community nestled on the slopes of Haleakala at 3200 feet.

A few days ago, I listened to a friend talk about how tired she's been lately.

Can you relate?

What she said next caught me off guard, "I've been letting myself rest more. I just know I need it."

Who has time for that?? ;)

Really, though, I was struck by how plainly she connected those two things: More tired equals more rest.

I, too, have been low on energy lately. But, what I do when I'm tired hasn't been as clear-cut.

Sometimes I rest. And, sometimes I view tiredness as a problem to solve:

Why you so tired?

Is something wrong?

Ahem, you need to get out and meet people, make things happen, etc, etc.

Of course, I would love to do those things, and I eventually will, I just don't have the energy right now!

Her comment made me realize when we go through big life events (hello moving and/or pandemic for 2+ years), we often need many days, sometimes weeks or months to fully recover from and digest these experiences. (In other words, more time than we often expect or think.)

Only then is it possible to come out the other side more capable, energized or whole. The alternative is that we get stuck in states of fatigue, edginess, and eventually, burn ourselves out.

It's like nature going underground in the winter. Pausing activity in order to process the past and prepare itself for what lies ahead. Rest ultimately allowing for more coherency and organization in the system as a whole. (We are interconnected systems, too, ya know?)

The beautiful part about nature is that it flows easefully into quiet, dormant periods.... Trusting what's needed and mining the inherent value of each season. Relieved of the pressure to incessantly produce or be more than it already is.

Just maybe there's something to take from the way nature ebbs and flows, eh? ;)

Wishing you and your ohanas an aloha-filled holiday & New Year,

Breon