That 4-Letter Word

Looking at this picture, I'm sure you can guess what 4-letter word I am referring to. For people with many spinning plates, the idea of rest can be scary and even impossible. But as someone who has faced this head-on, you will be forced to do so if you do not take the time to rest. Your mind, body, and spirit cannot be on 24/7 without recharging.

I recently returned from my favorite work conference, which is very heavy in social interaction. Being with my friends and industry partners, I always come away with a full heart and renewed motivation to do more and be more. The keynote speaker challenged me to treat people differently, look at how I interact with coworkers, and not label others with preferential bias. But while I love and look forward to this annual week-long event, it can be very taxing on the mind, body, and soul. When you add balancing continuing work needs, being present at the conference, and the stress of airports and travel, a person sometimes needs a vacation to recoup! Here's my story so you understand why I am writing.

By Thursday afternoon, I was ready for quiet and alone time. The four days of social energy had me. Even though I reached out to meet with others, I wasn't disappointed when those meetups fell through. After doing my favorite activity of wandering around downtown Seattle and the waterfront, eating at my favorite restaurants, and enjoying my favorite treats, I headed back to the hotel to fully unwind and pack. My driver arrived early the following day, and I was off to the airport. I prefer to arrive early instead of rushing to the gate. Sitting at the gate with a packed flight and many screaming children made me regret not upgrading.

I quickly volunteered when the agent asked for volunteers to take the next flight for credit. I didn't mind waiting for a better flight because Seattle airport is nice and has several entertainment areas. When I went to the customer service desk to pick up my meal voucher, they verified I was checked in for the new flight and all details were in order. Problem. They weren't. The new airline I was transferred to did not complete their portion and had already booked my seat to someone else. It was 11 am. I had been up since 6 am and at the airport since 8:15 am. The next available flight was 11 pm. Tired, frustrated, and hungry, I took my new ticket to the food court area to sit and contemplate my next step. Because I have such wonderful friends, one arrived at the airport early so I could be his guest in the lounge. We spent 4 hours of my 12 talking, working, and enjoying the benefits of an airline lounge. While there, I realized I was booked on first class and said a prayer of thanksgiving!

After 4 hours, we said goodbye, and I was alone to keep myself awake. Later, as I was walking on the plane, I realized I had an aisle seat instead of a window. I was still grateful to be in first class even though I had no place to lean and sleep. After managing catnaps for the next 5 hours, I arrived in Nashville after 5:30 am and then proceeded to search for my luggage that had been sitting for 12 hours. I've never been more grateful for airtags! Still, it took me almost an hour to get someone to hand me my luggage, and I was off to the shared ride location. Arriving home after 7 am, I had to decide whether to stay up or sleep. See, my cousins, who I had not seen in years, were in town, and we planned a whole day of galavanting around downtown Nashville. I crashed for a couple of hours to give myself enough energy to stand up. We had a fantastic day, and I stayed awake until late evening. I woke up early on Sunday to see them off, did laundry, grocery shopped, and meal-prepped for the week. You can imagine that by Monday, I was a complete zombie. But, work called. It wasn't until Friday that I felt I had finally returned to my usual self.

I recounted this story to reiterate how important rest is to your body. Could I have done anything differently during those 36 hours? Probably not once I had chosen to take the later flight. However, my takeaway is if I do it again, verify I have been checked in for the flight before leaving that desk! This past week, I chose to rest, not overdo my workload, not get up early to go to the gym, drink plenty of water, eat a healthy diet, and go to bed when my body dictated it. Because of that, my energy returned on Friday, and I lost all the weight I had gained from the previous week. I have learned that there is a scientific reason we are told to get 8 hours of sleep. Rest regenerates, restores, and cleanses our bodies. It is also why we should drink 8 oz or more water when we wake up. We need to flush all of those toxins out of our body.

The phrase "Work-Life Balance" is sometimes dismissed as a lazy response to work. But it is the correct way to conduct our lives. Looking back to how life was done in the pre-World War timeline, we had community, church, club, family, and work time. It was balanced. As time has gone on, work has consumed more and more of our daily lives. This is why today's generation is crying out for balance. We are created for community; we need family and purpose. We also need rest.

I challenge you this week to take time to just sit. No noise or screens. No sounds but nature. Release all of the voices and noise in your mind. Listen and breathe. If you have to, schedule it in your calendar and stick to it. Don't allow work or self-doubt to cancel those plans. Give yourself grace and watch how your mind transforms, mood lightens, energy returns, and outcomes rocket.

Until Next Time,

DJ