The Art of Rest and what I learned from the Willy Wonka Grandparents
Do you remember the grandparents from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? What if I told you that they taught me a valuable lesson this week? For those of you that are not familiar with these lovable sets of grandparents, let me fill you in. Throughout the movie, all four of Charlie Bucket’s grandparents are completely bedridden. They comically all four share one bed while they are shown sleeping, eating, and knitting. One of the grandparents gets selected to go on a tour of the chocolate factory with Charlie and mentions that it is his first time out of bed in many years.
A while ago, my friends and I joked that we “felt like the grandparents from Willy Wonka” while watching multiple episodes of a television show without moving from the couch. This led to a comical conversation about why all four of the grandparents shared a bed in the first place. We all joked that they were too relatable and that that lifestyle would have its perks.
Fast forward a few months to Halloween. When trying to decide on a halloween costume to attend our friend’s party, we decided to draw inspiration from our favorite movie grandparents.
While all of this may seem a bit silly at first, I think it relates to a bigger theme in my life. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about how it seems so difficult to stop and rest. Real rest requires silencing some of the distractions that are always in front of us to participate in something refreshing and life giving. If I am honest with myself, this is not something that comes naturally to me. One of my favorite authors, Shauna Niequist, wrote in one of her books that our society has a tendency to “wear busyness as a badge of honor.” This quote has resonated with me for the last few months.
It is far too easy to inadvertently chase activity after activity, and before too long you will find yourself exhausted and discouraged. True rest is an art form. We live in an ultra-connected world that requires an intentional effort to silence the distractions to actually rest and recharge. While the beauty lies in the balance of participating in meaningful activity and taking time to rest and recharge, I think we can all take a few pointers from Charlie Bucket’s grandparents. I would urge you to take some time to consider what fills you up and causes you to participate in true rest, then make some time for those activities on a consistent basis. You may be surprised how much more grounded and refreshed you feel.
