REST IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIVING WELL.
“Stop worrying about productivity. You don’t even know what it is. You’ve been taught the idea of it by capitalism. Rest because it’s your human right to do so.”
-@thenapministry
Today marks the 8th anniversary of my maternal grandfather passing from this life. He was born in 1936 in the small town of Allendale, South Carolina. Only two generations removed from sharecropping. He moved to North Carolina in search of a better life at 19 years old. He was a gentle giant. Slim, sun kissed chocolate, tall, and dapper with a lovely baritone voice. His integrity preceded him and his good character infused all I saw him do. He taught me the value of generosity and the honor of work. My grandfather, affectionately known as “Papa”, eventually found a job that would create a life he could stand tall in and eventually sustain a family of 7. He was the Butler for the same White family for 50 years. Consequently, his work required him to travel to the seasonal homes of his employer. His presence working meant his absence from his family. His sacrifice of time “earned him a living.”
The inquiry, “what do you do to earn a living?” I’ve heard more than I care to count. It is indicative of living in a capitalist world framed by chattel slavery, indentured servitude, and the prison industrial complex. This common phrasing is the idea that one is not worth their existence unless meeting the profit margins of an external entity that will never reciprocate the sweat equity and sacrifice one invests to “be productive”. To be productive in ways that create profit and wealth for someone else. I believe being made in the image and likeness of a Divine Source makes you intrinsically worthy and of value. There is only one you! How could you not be a rare force and institution in and of yourself? You are already worthy. You were already of value before you said yes to your job, before you said yes to your career.
My grandfather only stopped working as a result of double heart attacks. His Parkinson’s Disease excelled more rapidly given his limitations of movement. This involuntary pause was an opportunity for him to know and be known in beautiful ways. I recall my mother saying one day, “I didn’t realize he was so funny.” Since my mom made this statement, I have always wondered how often my grandfather desired to be at home, and what could have become more known of him by his children had he been home more often. I’ve also considered that my grandfather would have lived his later years much differently if he knew that he had a choice. Yes, given his educational background as a Black man in a racist world he accessed an opportunity he felt he was most aligned with. I imagine my grandfather overextended himself in numerous ways to maintain his job and be approved by the white gaze. How much of your grind is for the gaze of others? Is your grind a traumatic response to your need for approval and/or acceptance?
I wander if my grandfather would still be here if he took more time to rest, and enjoy respite with his family more often. I wander if he still would have developed various illnesses if he took more time to slow down and enjoy the life he was creating for and with his family. Rest supports the regeneration of cells, the restoration of our minds, and the renewal of energy required to thrive. If you are reading this, this is your invitation to rest. Rest enables us to align with the highest part of ourselves. In this way we resist being disillusioned by incentives offered to align with external institutions and believe we’ve somehow arrived because of what we’re paid to produce for someone or something else.
I make an intentional choice to rest because my grandfather sacrificed so much of his rest. His sacrificial offering of rest allows me to make the conscious choice to not participate in grind culture. “Rest because it’s your human right to do so” beloved.
Rest because it is a necessity.
Rest because you choose to live and not die.
Rest is not earned, it is required.
Rest.