Rest: A Tool for Liberation

I hit a serious writing speed-bump last week and can’t seem to get myself restarted. I can't seem to focus on much of anything. But I am listening to podcasts and I wanted to share this one by Tricia Heresy. She is speaking to me and she says that I need to rest. She says in this podcast that rest is a tool for liberation.

I realized last week that I need liberation…emancipation from overwork. I was on a call a few weeks ago with fellow faculty members. I asked them “How are you doing?” Two of my colleagues said “Exhausted” and two others said “Frustrated” and one person was “Hopeless and Hope-full.” The conclusion from this brief survey is that we all work too much and often it is because we care so much. However, Tricia Heresy reminds us that rest ought to come not at the end but during the process of working and caring. She says that rest is our divine birthright and that overwork and exhaustion is a remnant of the plantation and necessary for America’s form of capitalism.

All I know is, that I often feel like I need a nap but also feel like I can’t stop doing. So, I’ve pulled out the big guns and called for an intervention. YES I DID! The kind that they do for alcoholics when the family comes together and says “You are wrecking your life and ours and you need some help!” I’m calling it an Emancipation Retreat for the Analytic Hub Leadership Team. I thought I would do some planning but I was demoted from organizer to attendee and told to rest. I (or they) will share more next week.