Tired is a Real Thing . . . a Real Real Thing

I wonder. . . do you rest? What do you answer to that keeps you from rest? What makes rest feel like an obstacle? What makes rest feel like a bad habit? What is contributing to your idea about YOUR self care and WHY does it have such a strong hold on you? These are questions I have asked myself recently. And while it is usually people asking the big “where you been?” question, this time around I have been asking myself. I have been waking up late, failing to move as often as I’d like, and growing overwhelmed with the fast approaching weeks. I have not been as present as I would like to have been. I wish I could say I was in La-La Land, but truth is, I have been sitting over here in the section of society labeled “Tired AF!” just-a-rocking and bobbing my head like a church kid in an all night prayer service. It is real out here and I know you can relate!

I am overwhelmingly DISENCHANTED with this restless civilization- it’s not so civil after all. We don’t hold a space for rest and there is rarely an opportunity to address the need for it without shame. We know how to prioritize the grind, spend time engaging with stressors, and report to social media to post our victories, laughs, gym accomplishments, food, inspiration, news AND our self-care routines, but fam, WE SLEEPY. I find (for myself) that when I am not grounded in the present, daily observances tend to come through as skewed lessons: work teaches me that work is never done and accomplishment reminds me to compare because I am not the only one. So what now Ted? Are we just gone be grinding til the end of time? What an imposition!

It seems we are punished for the one thing that is needed for the human race to constantly reset and reimagine and be restored. So I guess the question is, who cares? What the hell are we doing? We need a culture of rest in our homes, workplaces, schoolhouses (PLEASE bring back the m*f* nap!), and even places of spiritual practice. We will die without it. The earth is tired of us because we have been skipping nap time. Our temples are sinking and we have caved to our tired little egos (quite literally). But I am reminded that it is not society that needs the reminder most. It is me. Do I have any self-preservation? What can I resist or denounce to make rest a sacred space again? Tired is a real thing and it is my duty to honor myself and continually observe the experience of rest.

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Teddy the Brave