Rest

When I was a teenager there was a Kitkat commercial airing that went something like this:

1st guy to 2nd guy: “What’re you doing?”

2nd guy: “I’m taking a break.”

1st guy: “What are you taking a break from?”

2nd guy: “Nothing.”

1st guy: “Then how do you know you’re taking a break?”

2nd guy: “I’m having a Kitkat. Have a Kitkat, have a break.”

Admittedly it was a corny ad, but it’s stuck with me, especially the question “how do you know you’re taking a break?” What are the differences between working and taking a break? The implication in the ad is that the line between (not, as the case may be) working and actively not working (taking a break) can be hard to spot. In the ad that line is drawn by the eating of a Kitkat bar, a “practice” that signals “taking a break.”

Which made me wonder what practices do I use to signal to myself (if no one else) that I’m taking a break/day off/holiday?

For some reason all my non-work days end up filled with non-work related work. Errands to run, personal projects around the home to complete, generally just a lot of stuff to do. How do I take a break from that stuff?

This is where I find rules to be helpful; or rather the notion of monastic rules. Monasteries typically have a “rule,” a code of practice and discipline designed to give definite shape to the community to grow or mature in a specific way.

I find the idea of a “rule of rest” to be helpful because I’ve grown up in a culture where the standard code of practice is to always be “on.” I need another rule. A counter code of practice to guide my body, mind, and spirit to rest and find renewal.

Here’s my little:

Rule of Rest.

1. Rest and renewal are gifts from God. They are not earned or achieved through effort. That would make rest another form of work.
2. Run first thing in the morning. You sit too much. Reconnect with your body.
3. Turn off your computer. The twitter-verse won’t collapse without you. Your email will still be waiting for you tomorrow.
4. Don’t worry about work. It’s easy to stress about what you need to do tomorrow or later this week. It’s easy to think “if I use this day I can ease my work load for the rest of the week.” There is always more work to be done; more projects to start, or finish.
5. Don’t watch TV. Too often TV or movies don’t contribute anything meaningful to your existence, and they’re a distraction from what you ideally want to be doing anyways.
6. Read something. Read a book or a TL;DR article that isn’t work related. Immerse yourself in it and enjoy.
7. Write something. Let your mind generate ideas, then put them into a creative order. Craft your words.
8. Play at something. Engage your imagination, and have fun doing something that has no “practical” value.

My Rule is an evolving set of practices that provides guidance and direction. It serves me, I don’t serve it. I expect that in the coming years this code will continue to grow and change, much as I will, and I hope it will help me to do so.