I created Living ROI as a passion, to share my experiences and support others who want to live more authentic, joyful and fulfilling lives.
Dear Friends,
I love DOING. When I get things done and check them off my list, I get a surge of endorphins. Maybe I’m even addicted to it. Do you relate?
Despite the overwhelming evidence that rest and play are good for you, I still find it hard. I don’t think I’m alone. Because I believe this is one of the most pervasive issues in our society today, it’s worth talking about. There are many angles around the topic of doing too much—an always-on work culture, unrealistic expectations and ingrained habits to name a few. It takes reminding and support to regularly bring us back to healthy, balanced living.
During the first few weeks of recovery after surgery it was easy to just rest. As I’ve started to feel better, I can see the compulsion to DO coming back. The consequence has been that my body is rebelling and I’m back to some serious resting.
How can I learn from this time and remember to honor the value of rest and play?
A dear friend sent me this article from The New York Times yesterday: You Are Doing Something Important When You Aren’t Doing Anything. “Fallow time is necessary to grow everything from actual crops to figurative ones, like books and children. To do the work, we need to rest, to read, to reconnect. It is the invisible labor that makes creative life possible.”
On Friday, June 21, we had a beautiful summer solstice gathering in our backyard for neighbors and nearby friends. This was a true hygge fest with a bonfire, candle making, flower wreaths and a potluck. I loved it! But it was frustrating not being able to be hands-on for the setup or the cleanup, which my daughter, Marina, and our friend, Mika, kindly managed.
I still managed to do too much before and during the party and took Saturday to rest. At one point I felt compelled to help. I went to walk down the stairs from my bedroom to the kitchen, slipped and fell down a flight of stairs. I am okay, but I heeded the message from the universe and my body. Just STOP.
Here are some words of wisdom from Oprah that I was reminded of yesterday after I fell down the stairs:
“The universe speaks to us always. First, in whispers. And a whisper in your life usually feels like, “Hmm… That’s odd…” or, “Hmm… That doesn’t make any sense…” or, “Hmm… Is that right?” It’s that subtle. And, if you don’t pay attention to the whisper it gets louder and louder and louder. It’s like getting thumped upside the head. If you don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. If you don’t pay attention to that, the brick wall falls down. That is the pattern that I see in my life and so many other peoples’ lives. So, I ask people, “What are the whispers? What’s whispering to you now? And can you catch it in the whisper?”
Falling down the stairs was a thump upside my head, and that is where it will stop.
May we all listen to the whispers!
Barbara Fagan-Smith
CEO, ROI Communication
Chief Catalyst, Living ROI
