I've been resting. My sprained ankle is healing nicely, but it's remarkable what even a small injury can take out of you. When it happened, I think a whole lot of adrenalin kicked in to keep me going, because I was away from home, alone, in an unfamiliar, big city. I had to keep it together through the workshop and the travel. Upon my return home, I had two workshops and my regular classes to prepare for, all the while having to move much more slowly and cautiously to keep the ankle safe. It's taken a lot of concentration, and that's tiring.
So, I've been resting as much as I can, whenever I can, and it's helped a lot.
At our studio, we teach two classes that focus on rest - one that combines meditation and restorative practice, and the other that is only restful yoga poses. People say they love these classes, but attendance is spotty and never what you'd call BIG, compared to our active classes. One student said to me, "I don't know why there aren't 30 people in this class!" We've speculated about that a lot, but where I've landed is this: we humans think "doing something" is important and "not doing anything" is ...lazy, wasteful, unproductive. We think resting is somehow a sign of weakness and we don't make it a priority.
I know, I know. We're busy. We're busy, busy, busy. Some of that is real. And some of it is us, putting ourselves last. Don't get mad at me - maybe you really are that busy! Good for you - or not good for you, as the case may be. But I have learned that we make the time for what is important to us. We do. Sometimes we are forced into resting by an accident - like a sprained ankle, or by a cold or flu.
It's just a question to ask ourselves - why are so willing to deny ourselves rest?
Writing this has made me tired. Time for a nap. :)
I had a pyjama day last week because I was feeling a bit under the weather (it was my day off, no sickies for me!) - it pushed away my impending cold nicely. Rest is very important - mentally, physically and emotionally.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your ankle's on the mend. Enjoy the nap :-)
I'm glad you feel better too. When I'm getting a cold, the only thing that makes it go away is rest. Otherwise it will stay forever.
ReplyDeleteDear Melissa, I'm so glad I've found your blog again! I used to follow you back in 2013 and 2014--then I stopped blogging because of ill health. This past year I began ago and slowly added blogs to follow as I found ones that I'd missed. I see you now have the author page for your Christmas books. I bought and read both of them and enjoyed them immensely. I passed them on to some young friends--9 and 10 year olds.
ReplyDeleteI'm self-publishing a memoir in April and so I'm learning what I can about marketing. It's daunting, especially as I now have compromised vision and can no longer drive myself to readings, etc. I hope to use social media but that seems so mysterious to me.
So if you have some hints for how I can go about this. Please let me know!
By the way, I do a sitting yoga for older people (I'm 81 now) that give some such a feeling of satisfaction. But I also spend time each day just sitting and looking at a tree in the yard and considering its roots! Peace. It's good to see these pictures of you. I so remember that motor trip you and your husband took to Nova Scotia when you retired. I loved those postings and the photographs. Peace.
Dee! How lovely to hear from you! I have thought of you often and am so pleased to hear that you are doing well and writing - and doing yoga! I kind of lost interest in blogging for a while, because it takes a lot of energy and time. When we were on the road in the RV, it was fun to make it a travel blog, and I often go back and look at some of our photos. To think we did all that and had so many wonderful experiences. So the blog now is just whatever I want it to be and when I have book news I'll share that at my other blog. I'm working on a book that is historical fiction inspired by my mother's experience in an English boarding school. You might remember that we visited the school in Liverpool, England in 2012, in the midst of our RV year. It's slow going, but I think I have a good story to tell. I am excited about your memoir! Please stay in touch and keep me posted.
ReplyDeleteDear Melissa, I do remember your Liverpool, England. I read your blog with great eagerness and feel as if I went on that road trip and England trip with you!
DeleteI'm glad to learn that you are writing a historical novel. You write so well and your two books drew me in because you can maintain suspense. I'll let you know when the memoir comes out. Then later in the year, I plan to self-publish a historical novel that takes place in first century of the CE Palestine. Let's keep cheering one another on! Peace.
Yes, indeed! Thank you so much for rediscovering me. I look forward to reading your books and chatting with you here.
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