Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Room to Rest

I started a part time job this past summer.  Now, that may not sound like a big deal to you, but it was to me.  It is the first job outside of the home and volunteer work that I've had in over nine years. That's a big deal.  I enjoy my job and I'm grateful to have the flexibility to work and also be there for my family.  (More about that in another post).

All that said, I have struggled to find the seemingly elusive work-life balance, specifically when it comes to rest.  After several weeks of school starting and the transition that has come with that, working more on the weekend than I would prefer, and time commitments piling up on one another, I was burned out.  This past weekend was the first weekend in a long time that I didn't work much and didn't have previous commitments.  Actually, that's not true.  I had been asked to either be at or help with a couple of activities that I really wanted to do.  But I felt like I was supposed to say no to those things and just be home and rest.

It was so hard to say no.  And I didn't want to say no.  But I'm so glad I did.  At some point on Saturday I was restless.  I had work to do around the house that I didn't want to do and honestly felt like I shouldn't do at the moment.  I wanted to go somewhere or do something...anything to not have to figure out how to rest.  Instead, I picked up a book I was wanting to finish, went outside and sat in the sun with my feet up.  It was nice.  And much needed. Though it took me nearly half the weekend to get to that point, I was finally able to relax and rest. And it reminded me that with as much going on in all of our lives, we have to give ourselves room to rest!

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