I Hope You Find What Lets Your Soul Rest

What does it look like when your soul rests?

Maybe that means you’ve slept for eight hours. Perhaps it means you’ve slept for ten. Maybe it means that you’ve slept for a couple of hours at night, but that’s a blessing because your new baby hasn’t slept for more than two hours straight, and they are now sleeping for five, and that’s something to celebrate. Maybe it means that instead of cleaning the house when that baby is sleeping, you sleep right alongside them.

Maybe it’s about a nap.

Maybe your version of soul rest is a weekend of white space on your calendar, free from the demands of the world outside of your home.

Maybe your when your soul is at rest, you’re outside. Perhaps that means you’re at the beach, standing at the edge of the ocean. Your toes wiggle beneath the sand, and the crash of the waves spray your face, and you feel completely and utterly alive at that moment. Maybe it means you’re going for a long walk with your spouse or your friends — perhaps the rhythm of your footsteps on the pavement and the sound of the wind through the trees makes your soul feel at ease. Maybe it means you’re in the mountains — the height of them, and the enormity of them, and how they tower over the tallest building and the most bustling cities keeps your focus in perspective.

Maybe it’s about digging deep into the dirt of your own garden.

Maybe the soil beneath your palms makes you feel full of joy and calm, too.

Maybe you delight in the knowledge that the harvest from this hard work with feed your family. The vegetables and the fruits will be placed upon your table and fill their bellies and fuel their hearts.

Maybe when your soul is at rest, you’re sitting at your table, and your family and friends are sitting with you. Perhaps the meal that you’re sharing is long and uninterrupted. The sounds of laughter fill the air. The fruit and vegetables from your garden sit upon the tabletop, and you can feel the warmth from the love that radiates from every person surrounding the table. Time doesn’t matter when you’re at the table — you don’t rush, and you don’t hurry. You sit and laugh and bask in the glow of the souls that sit with you.

What does it look like when your soul is at rest?

Maybe it’s a nap.

Maybe it’s a weekend without plans.

Maybe it’s an adventure in nature or the simplicity of a walk.

Maybe your soul rest looks like a table full of food and a kitchen full of the ones that you love.

Maybe it’s the freedom to make your art.

Maybe it’s the sound of your song.

Maybe it’s the splash of color on a white canvas or the feeling you get when you sit behind the lens of the camera or singing in the shower at the top of your lungs.

Maybe your soul rest is something different. Perhaps it looks different and feels different — maybe it’s not something you can see or hold.

Whatever it is, I hope you find it.

And when you do, I hope you carve out time for it amongst your days.