Day 21: Rest…Relax…Reflect.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. (John Lubbock)

Thinking about the musings from DAY 20: The Basics Of Hinduism…

I would submit to you that it is important to take some rest. 

As the final day of the third week of school winds down, I spend a few minutes at the end of class helping them to determine what their focus should be going into their first weekend of no classes.  Usually, I will provide them an item-task analysis, ranked in order of importance, of the items that should be completed over the weekend in order to prepare themselves for the upcoming week of class.  I end with the quote:

“I will give you Sunday’s off, it’s a God thing….”

The more I think about it, I don’t really know if it is really just a ‘God thing’.  I mean, don’t animals, insects, birds, plants, the rest of Mother Nature and even Atheists, believe in the importance of rest? 

Whether you believe that it is a ‘God thing’ or not, rest is necessary for all of us. It is necessary for all on this Earth, to be able to rest and relax and restore, as this valuable combination helps to reset our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

Personally, I think rest is important on a Sunday, because Monday’s for high school students, (and the rest of us for that matter), can be brutal, even on a good Monday…

As an aside, is it even possible to have a good Monday?

Bottom line no matter where you stand on the issue of God, get some rest…

And relax…

And reflect. 

For example, spend some time to do some reflecting on the week that has just ended.  To be mindful perhaps of the following from last week:

Day 15: Are You Guilty Of Presentism? – When given the choice to live as royalty around the year 1900, or to live as yourself in today’s world, the choice appears to be quite clear…however, what may not seem to be as clear is, how slavery and ziggurats are connected to that royalty and you today;

Day 16: Does Presentism Affect The Way You View The World? – After considering all of the: planning, land, resources, finances, time, labor, and bedtimes needed to build a ziggurat, the concept of slavery, at least back then, becomes an absolute necessity;

Day 17: The Dangers Of Presentism. – 20 structures from 2560 BCE to 1939 CE were presented and the one thing they all had in common was the fact that they were all built by slaves.  If we were to impose our presentism on how we in the US currently feel about American monuments and memorials, what would be the consequences if we applied presentism to all monuments and memorials built by slaves around the world?  It brings into question the unintended consequences of applying presentism in this manner; 

Day 18: The Basics Of Polytheism/Animism. – 7 belief systems are discussed that are brought up with the earliest human civilizations.  The first of which with some basic facts is known as Polytheism/Animism;

Day 19: The Validity Of Polytheism/Animism. – Drilling down a little bit deeper into some of the facts relating to Polytheism/Animism, when applying syllogism to address some issues regarding these facts, and in particular, the ‘Coexist’ bumper sticker;

Day 20: The Basics Of Hinduism. – A second belief system that came about during the Foundations period of mankind, this religion has over 1 billion followers in the world today, including a religious book with 3 core beliefs;

Are you ready to get some rest?

Do not feel discouraged if you don’t know how to rest. Do not feel discouraged if you power down your mind and body that wishes to forge ahead, so many things to do, so little time.  Instead, embrace the idea that rest is rejuvenating.  Embrace the idea that rest restores and recharges.  10-15 minutes.  Do nothing regarding the upcoming workweek…for 10-15 minutes.  Then, 7 days later, extend your rest time out 5 minutes.  Deep breathing exercises.  Simple yoga poses.  Watching cute little puppies on your social media feed.  All unrelated to work and your job(s).  Something, some things, to clear your mind.     

² On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He had rested from all His work which He had created and made. (Genesis 2:2-3 KJV)

Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?

Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 21: Rest…Relax…Reflect.

If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.

Please feel free to go back to where all of this began:

Day 1: What Is A Mid-Life Crisis?