Days Off

Today was my one day off in seven. It was so mundane and great. I got my car washed, went shopping, got boba, talked to a therapist, got a library card, started a new book, and fried shrimp wontons from Trader Joe’s. It was the perfect day.

And yet, it was so ordinary.

But I still feel recharged to go back to 12 hr shifts 6 days a week because I got the chance to decompress.

For the first time in a while I rested and rested HARD.

Rest is such an active process. You have to set boundaries for rest or else other obligations will easily encroach upon the time you’ve set aside to recoup.

Resting may even require you to say no to “good” things. Today it required me saying no to waking up early to workout so I could sleep in and get a head start on all the wonderfully boring things I’d planned for the day. I can workout any day, I thought. This is your day to do things that make you happy.

It also required me to pass on driving 40+ minutes to see my sister on the other side of LA so I wouldn’t get caught in rush hour traffic. I’d visited her last week on my off day and sat in rush hour traffic for an hour on my way home. The drive drained me undid all resting I had done the night before.

I’m still learning how to rest and live a life of balance. I’m learning everyday that rest is something you actively seek out, not something you hope for.

We have to advocate for ourselves by actively resting. We owe it to ourselves.