The Ladybug

Tag: Philosophy

  • Permission to Rest

    I am currently typing this while curled up in bed with a warm, electric blanket, and a hot mug of coffee.  There was a major snow storm last night, and the weather has now decided to spit ice and rain.  My car is completely snowed in, and I am not going anywhere.  Therefore, I have made an executive decision that today is a rest day.  My week has been long and filled with appointments and schoolwork.  I deserve rest.  However, do I really need to earn my rest?  Or does my mind and body simply deserve rest because they exist.  Is it okay to take a rest day because I am tired, or even two rest days?  Or even a rest week?  Let us look at this idea a little more closely.

                In America, the rules of society dictate that we all work and hustle, as much as possible.  In addition, if one has a disability or health condition that requires taking life a little less intensely, then you are looked down upon by other people.  Grind, grind, grind!  That is the motto for the USA.  Whether this attitude be at your job, in your relationship, or at the gym, you are expected to always be moving forward.  Life is a proverbial rat race.  But why?  What is so wrong about slowing down?

                Let me share a little about my personal experience.  When I meet a new person, they always ask me what I do for work.  My reply is that I do not work, currently, that I am in school part-time.  This answer usually always elicits a confused look from the other person, and then the inevitable question, “Well, what do you do with your time?  Aren’t you bored?”  I find this arrogant assumption that because I do not meet with society’s standard of full-time work or full-time school, that I somehow must have no life.  The assumption is that I must be lazy, and sitting around eating chocolates all day.  My life is full of responsibilities and I often feel overwhelmed by how busy my days are, and how little time I have for rest.  My life just looks different from the norm.  I balance family obligations with health appointments and school and exercise and activities that contribute to my values system, just like anybody else. 

                So, why am I shamed for not fitting the business rules of American society?  And, if I need rest days to help my body and mind rejuvenate so that I may keep going in my life, why is that wrong?  I feel that in the USA, we have our values all wrong.  With all the emphasis on grinding and hustling, exhaustion and burn-out are inevitably to be expected.  In fact, many people are dissatisfied in their lives because they do not take time to rest.  However, I understand that rest time can be seen as an unattainable luxury to some people.  Perhaps you are a busy Mom, or a person working three jobs to make ends meet, and rest time sounds impossible.  I understand, and I do not want to discount these persons and situations.  My point is, that instead of striving to never stop moving, we should be striving to carve out little pockets of rest in our daily lives.  For example, take a longer than usual coffee break, or go for a walk on your lunch hour, or dedicate one day a week to sleeping-in by a half hour extra.  There are possibilities for adding rest, if one is creative.  Rest time is crucial to mental and physical well-being, and it is a luxury that we should be striving to make a weekly practice.

                My challenge to you is to find your happy place.  Stop and think.  Just breathe for a moment.  What small activity, or lack of activity, makes your little heart soar?  For me, I enjoy eating canned soup while curled in bed watching a favorite Netflix show, and I like to take time to do this when I feel my body telling me she is tired.  There are hundreds of possibilities for what a rest day, hour, or moment may look like for you, but make sure to carve out the time to indulge.  Your body will thank you with improved overall health.  Your mind will thank you for letting it de-stress, even for twenty minutes.  Do not run the rat race and feel you are stuck.  Instead, embrace rest time, and view it as a form of self-respect, just as important as leg-day at the gym.  My message to all my Ladybug readers: Permission to rest-GRANTED!!!

                Be Relaxed, G.

  • For the Love of Money

    Reflections on God and Possessions

    My needs have always been met.  I have never known hunger or cold.  There has always been a roof over my head.  Considering the recent wildfires in California, I have been thinking about what happens when a human’s most basic needs are not met.  In America, we have a capitalist society, where every man and woman are for themselves in a rat race to the corporate top ladder.  Money and possessions are highly valued.  Americans are taught to crave a bigger house, a fancier car, and the latest smart phone technology.  The focus is not only on having enough to survive, but on one-upping your neighbor.  But, what does Jesus say we need?  He emphasizes spiritual wholeness, and a closeness with the earth and our creator.  Jesus, himself, was poor, and advised His followers to give up their possessions and follow Him.  Jesus says that we cannot love God and money (Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:24).  So, after seeing the devastation in California over the last few days, I asked myself, what would I grieve the loss of most, my “things” or my memories?  I am ashamed to say that I might be tempted to grieve the loss of the stuff I had collected the most.

                Time for a little self-reflection.  I grew up middle-class in the USA, and with all the privileges of being white.  It was not until I was an adult that I first experienced having little money.  I have lived on disability and food stamps for most of my adult life, and have had to watch every penny closely.  Running out of food at the end of the month has become a reality, as well as swallowing my pride and occasionally asking for extra help.  However, as I said, God is Good, and I have always somehow made ends meet.  It has not been an easy task.  The surprising fact is, that I would not have it any other way.  Being poor keeps me honest in a way that I have never experienced before.  My empathy and respect for others has grown and my own faith journey has been richer.  Joy has been palpable in the simple pleasures, such as a walk in the woods, or a warm cup of tea.  Community with others in church or through friendships sparks my passion more than being by myself in a fancy apartment would accomplish.  However, with all that said, I still feel myself vulnerable to the temptations to enjoy collecting, “stuff,” in my case mostly books and music.  I crave the latest Taylor Swift CD, even though I cannot afford it, and feel sorry for myself that the extra funds are not there. 

                It is time for a reality check.  My complaints are the needs of a first-world spoiled American.  I want fancier clothes, I want newer CD’s, I want higher quality chocolate.  Hello, wake-up call, I have all I need and more!!!  My sweet apartment is full of lovely times spent with family and friends, and I am warm, safe, and fed.  There are many in the world, and presently in our own country, who cannot say the same.  It is time to dig into scripture and recall the words of Jesus, “you cannot love God and money.”  I have been given free-will, what do I choose to love today?  Do I love my Father God, or the phone app that I want?  God gives us the option; it is time to consider the answer.  We as Christians are called to serve those less fortunate, let us decide to act now and help our neighbors.  To whom much is given, much is required.  I have been given much. 

                If you would like to help the California rescue efforts, World Central Kitchen is serving hot meals:

    World Central Kitchen