A Blessing for the Burned Out, Sun-drenched, and Soul-weary
Remember that you are not a project to be optimized. You are a person. A beloved one.
Blessed are you who are burned out,
sun-drenched, and soul-weary.
You who long for rest
but feel pulled in a dozen (good) directions.
You who feel behind before the day even starts.
Whose group texts go unanswered,
whose sunscreen ran out,
who cannot remember what day of the week it is.
Blessed are you who are trying to care for others
when you barely have anything left to give.
You are blessed
when you don’t volunteer to bring orange slices to the soccer match.
When you eat cheese and crackers for dinner again.
When you say, “Sorry, I can’t make it.”
You are not lazy.
You are not failing.
You are honoring your humanity.
May you find pockets of rest,
when your body says no more.
May you find something you can set down,
when your calendar begs for margin.
May you find a friend who helps shoulder it with you,
when you are spread too thin.
And may you remember:
You are not a project to be optimized.
You are a person.
A beloved one.
You don’t have to earn rest.
You just have to receive it.
Even now. Even here.
In the middle of this beautiful, terrible summer.
Yesterday I bowed out of going swimming with the grandkids. (My husband went instead.) I rested and wrote (and, sadly, felt guilty about saying no). Today I bowed out of visiting my elderly mother. (I'll go tomorrow.) I rested and wrote and took a walk (and again, felt some guilt about saying no). Your post is a timely reminder that I don't need permission to take are of myself. Yet, it seems I need to be reminded of that often.
Treating yourself like a BELOVED person is one of the best ways to remind the world of how you SHOULD BE treated. Thank you for these reassuring words, Kate!