You are a Human BEING

"Almost anything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes... including you." - Anne Lamott

I don't like writing about the necessity to take a rest, because I think that we waste plenty of time as it is. For me, I write about the importance of taking a break and not being ready-set-go all the time, and then I take too many breaks and get even less done than I was managing to do when I was trying to work hard. I'm lazy enough for myself without writing this essay, and I don't think I'm alone in that. There's a sense where, the world is going to likely have 10 billion people in it long before I die, and it's a competitive world. I've got to work hard and never take a break. And to get anything out of life, you do have to work hard. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from an unknown source, "More people have more talent than discipline; that's why discipline pays better." As a person, my goal is to get better, to work hard, and to take very few rests. So understand that I will never understate the value of hard work. 

That said, there's also this thing where sometimes we get going so fast and we realize that we are no longer even working at a level that is human. American culture is crazy busy. Spanish speaking countries actually take time though, every day to talk to their families. They have a day a week where all they do is family bonding. They even take a large break in the middle of the school day. Their brains are clearer and they enjoy life. Human beings should be working hard, but when our brain is literally nothing but going from one thing to the next and we lose sight of why we're doing what we're doing, what our mission is, and any kind of purpose in life, we're not really human beings. We're human doings. And that's a bad place to be in. 

In the ready, set, go of daily life sometimes it is good to screech on the breaks. Have you smelled the flowers recently? Sat in the garage and watched a thunderstorm. Watched a good movie with someone you care about or gone for a walk? Just talked to a friend. This Thursday I was rushing through a huge agenda and Brinton Prestridge, a wonderful friend from the Georgia area called and I put my schoolwork away and talked for an hour. Man if you aren't taking time like that you lose sight of the goal and the purpose in daily life.

I understand that day to day, things can be a grind. And it should be. Any time you are sitting down and realizing things are easy, then you are doing something wrong. But if you are running around, stop. I'm not saying stop altogether or stop often. Society requires us to do most of the things we do. Challenges are good. But once a week, give yourself some time. Find a friend. Do something that makes you happy and gives you genuine rest and relaxation. You can function as a burnt out person for a while. A night without sleep here and there, won't kill you. But eventually, these nights and these days of no rest catch up to you and life is not rewarding. Life is a grind. And it shouldn't be. 

The thing is this is a beautiful world. There are cool things and cool people all around you. Colleagues you hardly talk to are doing fascinating things and it's actually worth getting to know them. Nature is amazing. There's a lot of good, a lot to be explored, and a lot of things that make this ride worthwhile. Don't get caught up in the grind. Explore. Dream. Discover. Renew yourself by taking some time off. When you are on your Spring Break, put away your work and take some time off. You are not a human doing. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just be, and we all need that. The theme for the year is vision and purpose, and you can't live out a purpose and a vision in the day to day if you work so hard that survival is your biggest focus. Step back and smell the roses. Just be. If your work is undone, the sky will not fall. We will keep orbiting around the sun, you will be fine, we will be fine. Just be.