on rest & harvesting

I spent tonight with some dear friends, talking about peace and chaos, what our 20s mean and what happens next. It seems that we're all reaching a new phase in our 20s - the latter half. And with this season - the late 20s instead of the early and middle - it feels like things are calming down. 

Things are slightly less chaotic - there is a little less job searching, relationship stressing, future worrying. And a little more knowing who we are and what we want. 

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Don't get me wrong: some of that stressing is still there. I'm still working on my budget and trying not to worry about my ovaries. That stuff doesn't go away over night. But it has subsided a whole lot. We're more sure of what we want and it helps make the chaos a little less chaotic altogether. 

But something that we're still figuring out is how to know when you're supposed to rest and when you're supposed to grind. In this time, when things feel easier and I'm less worried about what will happen tomorrow, I hear my heart telling me: rest, rest, rest. Enjoy this. It might not last. Eventually there will be a job or relationship or life change. Eventually there will be a greater level of chaos. But my head? It's telling me go, go, go. Make a change, take on a new project, develop yourself, hustle. 

And it's a fine line. Because going and creating is so, so good. We're meant to make the most of our time on this earth - to leave it better than we found it. But, there is something so important about stillness. When things slow down, it's important that we embrace it. 

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For me it's this sweet, sweet summer season. When things are a little less crazy before always-busy fall arrives. I was talking with a friend recently about a list I'd made of errands to run and gifts to buy and cards to write. The list was important, in a way, but not right-now-important. I was talking about having to get it all done and then enjoy the weekend. But relaxation couldn't be had until I checked those things off. And she said: I don't think you know that some time is meant to be unproductive. You're always being productive.

And I stopped in my tracks. Unproductive? What does that even mean?

But she was right. Some seasons are meant to be the busiest and others are meant to be the calmest. And the same goes for some weekends and some Tuesdays. 

I recently heard a theory about crop rotation and how farmers had to figure out that you can't plant in the same soil every season, because your crops will be fruitless, as the soil will be too tired. You have to rest the soil, so you have to rotate your crops. And right now, I'm rotating, too. This summer is about enjoying all of the good and being so grateful for it.

Soon, we'll be planting and harvesting. But today? Is for enjoying this summer season for as long as it lasts. 

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