If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that a significant pursuit of mine has been that of rest. Not just being able to stop doing things or thinking about things, but allowing the deepest parts of my person – even my whole person – to stop attempting to hold up the world around me. I’ve come to call this experience rest of the soul.
For years I operated with an “always on” mentality. Need a dancer last-minute? I’m ready. I always had my tap shoes close by if not in the bag I was actually carrying. This mentality carried over into the way my work organized itself. September thru June often felt like a natural season of teaching and performance. Then again, I expected – even needed – the work to continue in July and August. If July and August felt light, I didn’t take advantage of it. Instead I felt that I had done something wrong, being somehow unable to get the work I expected, wanted, and needed in those summer months.
Even though there was a natural outline for my work season, there was never a sense of an off-season.
This year will be different.
One of the most powerful practices in the journey of spiritual formation is that of the interruption. If the way that we’ve always done something has lead to a particular organization of thought of action, and we want something different, the current patterns require interrupting.
Well, here it is. Instead of blazing through July, I will be taking the month off. I intend to use the time to reflect on all the wonderful work that I’ve been a part of this past season, and prepare for a return to work in August. This is all that I will not be doing:
Posting any new Notes.
Being active on the socials.
Weekly writing for The Notes.
Recording new tap dance steps and tutorials for The Notes.
Here are some of the things I will look forward to doing:
Doing nothing.
Reading.
Writing for reflection and contemplation.
Dancing for fun.
Sharing time with friends and family.
Organizing my work space and processes for a return to work in August return.
If you’re seeing this as a new or recent subscriber, HELLO! You might want to take advantage of my time away to explore the entire archive of The Notes.
Thank you, each and everyone of you, for your support and encouragement. The Notes would not be possible without you.
Rest