Rest Is Part of the Work

My boys,

There comes a point when the tool should be put down.

Not because the work is finished.

The work is almost never finished.

Because you are.

For today.

Close the notebook.

Sweep the floor.

Put the cup in the sink.

Turn off the light.

Go home.

There will always be another message.

Let it wait.

There will always be another problem.

Let it wait.

There will always be something you could improve, repair, answer, build, plan, measure, or worry about.

Let it wait.

This is harder than it sounds.

A man who loves his work can hide inside it.

A man who fears falling behind can become very good at calling anxiety ambition.

A man who provides for his family can slowly forget that his family needs more than what he provides.

They need him.

So come home.

Sit at the table.

Eat slowly.

Listen when someone tells you a story you have already heard.

Stay long enough for the conversation to wander somewhere useless.

Let useless things be useful again.

Laugh.

Look around.

Notice who is there.

The work will call for you.

Let it call.

You do not have to answer every voice simply because it knows your name.

God made you capable of labor.

He did not make you only for labor.

There is prayer.

There is family.

There is friendship.

There is food eaten without rushing.

There is a body that needs recovery.

There is silence.

There is sleep.

There is the strange medicine of doing absolutely nothing for a little while.

Receive it.

Rest is not something you earn after becoming exhausted enough.

Rest is part of the rhythm that keeps good work good.

The field cannot always be harvested.

The blade cannot always be cutting.

The fire cannot always burn at full heat.

Neither can you.

So stop before your body stops you.

Stop before your patience becomes thin.

Stop before the people you love begin receiving only what remains after the work has taken everything else.

Put the tool down.

Not forever.

Just long enough to remember that you are more than the hand holding it.

Tomorrow, God willing, there will be work again.

And when you return...

Return rested.

Return grateful.

Return ready.

Then pick the tool back up.

I love you.

— Baba

Question:

Do you know how to stop working before exhaustion makes the decision for you?

Moral:

Rest is not an interruption of meaningful work. It is one of the disciplines that allows meaningful work to continue without consuming the person doing it.

This story reflects real experiences and philosophies behind Backyard Brew. It is shared to inspire perspective and intention.

Author: R. Solace