An amusing social media trend features the sound of Moira Rose saying, "I am booked up, David, you should see my schedule, I'm positively bedeviled with meetings, etcetera," with video of someone doing Absolutely Nothing (if you haven't experienced the pleasure that is Schitt's Creek, please do so ASAP!)
August is a great time to connect with the beauty of down time. It may look like nothing is happening, but looks are deceptive. What happens when we rest/breathe/contemplate is the grand and invisible work of a nervous system recalibrating our frail humanness, leaving us better in balance: strong enough to meet big moments of activity, soft enough to enjoy our own quiet company, compassionate and patient enough to tend relationships with full hearts.
Before the you-know-what changed our lives in March of 2020, being busy was a badge of honor. And then – for a while – may people found it impossible to be busy, at least not in ways we used to be. As the pandemic's grip gradually loosens, instead of creeping back to eternal busyness as a desirable state, let's book some breathing spells and space for repose. If someone asks for more of our time than we can manage, that's the moment to channel our best Moira Rose, kick back, and affirm that we are "positively bedeviled" with time for ourselves.