Yes, rest.  It’s just that simple.  In today’s world, we celebrate the art of busy.  If we’re not doing something at all times, then clearly we’re falling behind in the “race” and certainly not moving closer to attaining our goals.  Well, let me be the one tell you (again), that the best of you doesn’t come from a place of exhaustion or overstimulation.  We weren’t made to be on the move and involved all the time.

As each second of this last week in 2015 passes away, spend a few of them putting your mind and body at ease.  You can meditate, watch movies, read a book, sleep a few extra hours, silence social media notifications, write a poem or journal entry, take a bubble bath, or admire the abundance of flora and fauna outside your window.

With rest comes clarity.  With clarity comes creativity.  And with creativity comes possibility.  But, it all begins with rest.

Life has a way of bringing you to a place sometimes where you just don’t feel like it.  I know there have been several instances in my own life where the idea of staying snuggled under my cover after hitting the snooze button an unidentifiable number of my times was far more appealing than facing my tasks, my world…my life.  But, when I really think about where I’ve been, what I have, and all that awaits me, I can’t allow myself to watch a day go by and not give it everything I have.

While we’re all entitled to a break every now and then, we can’t afford to spend too many days trying to be invisible, particularly because isolation is often the root of destruction.  I am sure there will be plenty more days when you simply don’t feel like it.  You’re human.  But, pushing past your feelings promotes a life of purpose and promise.  We have to learn to get out of our feelings, and get busy living…not because every day we’ll have something to gain, but because we weren’t built to lose.

Last week was seriously a doozy…and not in the best of ways.  I thought it was going to be a breeze considering I was only in the office for three days.  But, every day felt like an arduous climb.  I don’t know if my brain and spirit were frazzled because of the multiple tasks that were happening simultaneously, the interstate traffic, or the thawing of my frozen digits after waiting outside for almost an hour in the slug line (note to self…drive to work or refrain from staying at work late on the day of the National Christmas Tree Lighting).  I just know I’ve had better weeks.  But, the one thing I remember about the entire week that somehow made everything alright happened on my evening Metro commute on my last day of the grind.  The doors opened at the stop right before mine and a father and his two young children boarded.  I immediately stood up so he could have my seat since I was right by the door.  It was the least I could do considering he had his hands full with two small children and no stroller or extra help anywhere in sight.  As I re-positioned and the train jerked us all forward without much warning, I heard the father tell his daughter how nice it was for someone to offer their seat to them.  She looked at him in agreement in a way that only a toddler could and mouthed the words “thank you” in a tiny but boisterous voice in my direction.  My heart melted…instantly.  All week I hadn’t really felt like being excited about much of anything, but in a second, the gaiety of an innocently animated toddler made me smile.  There are times when the intricacies of life can be quite overbearing.  So, let me and a toddler be the one to tell you that there will always be a light (sometimes even in a little human form) at the end of the tunnel.  ::doors open..to a new week::