Rest

This summer I’m trying something different – lots of rest! Normally when I plan our summer I try to think of all the cool activities we can do together and I make a schedule of when to do this and make the necessary arrangements to make this happen.

Because this year has been a tough one for our family, I decided to plan nothing. I mean nothing. I also decided to do as little as possible and just focus on resting our minds and our bodies.

This is not to say that we are just laying in bed, watching TV and not going anywhere, let me make that clear.

But we are truly focused on quiet time, low key activities and not planning anything, except for out of necessity. This is very freeing and liberating and a complete change for the way we normally live our lives.

My son and I are spending a good portion of our time at our cottage this summer by ourselves. Usually our daughter is here as well, but she has a part-time job this year so it’s changed our dynamic quite a bit. At first, I thought it would be difficult not having her at the cottage so much, but now I realized that it’s been a good experience for all of us. She gets to be more independent at home, learning to handle things she normally doesn’t take responsibility for and she gets time alone with her Dad.

For my son and me, it’s been different, especially how our day looks and what activities we decide to do. He gets my full attention.

Sometimes change can be beneficial for everyone.

I find just being able to enjoy nature and quiet reflection is very soothing and soul building. Our son has had a very busy year with lots of changes so I wanted him to do as little as possible so that his brain could get the rest that it needs. There is always so much going on in our brains all the time and just being able to let go of it all has made a huge difference in how we feel.

This has been extremely refreshing! For us, we just enjoy hanging out. Somethings we do our own thing and sometimes we do stuff together. But there are no “plans.” It is spontaneous in the moment with no expectations. Have you ever tried this?

We both desperately needed this time.

One of our favorite things to do together is to go swimming and then lay on the dock side-by-side while we let the sun dry us off. It is quiet, relaxing, restful and peaceful. When you are laying there, you can hear the waves of the lake, the birds, sometimes the odd boat going by.

By closing your eyes and listening to the sounds around you can replenish your mind.

I have found with resting, we are able to have more fun than ever. We are connected with each other and with nature and we don’t have to worry about where we need to be. Doing things at a slower pace or not at all can be so wonderful.

Resting is not just good, it is needed! Why don’t you try it sometime?