If you're not a religious person or grew up hearing the biblical story of creation, you may not know what I'm talking about. In Genesis, God worked six days creating all of the things we see now, including man. On the seventh day, it says God rested. Since God doesn't need rest, I believe he was setting an important example for us humans to follow.
Today, that advice is more critical than ever. I don't know about you, but I work a fulltime day job. I'm busy with family, busy with church. I write, publish, and market my own books. Everywhere I turn someone is telling me to be better, do more, and make more money. It's a mental hamster wheel, and I can't find the off switch.
Yesterday, I was reminded of the Sabbath and how important it is. How physically tiring and mentally exhausting it is to always be "on." You'd think a woman who had breast cancer in 2018 and Covid in 2020 wouldn't need to be told to slow down and rest. The thing is, like the hamster on the wheel, we get so used to the frantic pace that it just seems normal after a while. It's only when something knocks us on our butts (hello, Covid 19) that we realize just how busy we are.
So yesterday, I didn't sit down at the computer and finished that scene that begged to be written. I didn't hop on social media to see how my ads were doing or get my presence out there so readers would see and hopefully purchase a book. I didn't follow posts with "expert" advise on how to sell books that most times instead of being helpful, make me feel like an underachiever. Instead, I took my glasses off, gave my eyes a rest, and watched a whole season of Murder House Flip. It was a struggle, but it felt good mentally turn off. Maybe next Sunday I'll drive to my favorite spot by the water and just breathe.
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