We've been able to watch Mama Robin do her thing again this year. Even though the nest was already in our drain pipe from last year, she’s been very busy. It must have needed a
lot of tidying and fluffing up to get ready for a whole new brood of babies and I have watched her work tirelessly once more.
She flew back-and-forth between the nest and the ground to get dried grass and other
loose debris to make her nest cozy. After all that work, she has now laid her eggs and her job is to be still and relax.
We also experience seasons of hard work and rest. Life itself has a rhythm of work and rest.
I'm so looking forward to my next “rest” phase, but for now, I am in a season of working hard as we see to the completion of our new home and are doing some related projects ourselves (plus packing and selling furniture we’re not taking with us).
During the last two months, I have been sanding stain off chairs, First I worked on three old chairs we will use for our new kitchen island. I’ve never worked on furniture before and needed to practice with low risk pieces to make sure I could do it. Turns out I love it! So we bought six beautiful, used chairs to go with the custom table we purchased and they also need sanding down to the wood and then new stain.
Meanwhile, my husband built custom pine closets for us with the intention of staining them. I think I misunderstood that he had the intention of ME staining them. Now that we are down to the last several weeks of getting the house ready, I am packing, sanding chairs, selling
furniture AND staining closets. Whew!
However, there’s a big difference between how I’m handling all of that now, compared to what I would've done in the past. I’m working hard but most days, I’m pacing myself better and
taking rest stops in between longer hours of work. My self-care also looks like 90-minute float tank visits every other week, and long soaks in the bath or reviving hot showers at the end of a strenuous day. Plus lots of sleep!
Rather than forgetting to eat and then eating minimally, or consuming junk, I’m eating adequate nutrition and taking my lunch breaks. I’m making sure we have groceries and planning food for the week, so we know what’s for dinner when we’re both too tired to think about it.
Working hard and seeing the fruits of our labor are great for the soul, but our bodies deserve necessary rest along the way and I’m glad to be doing things differently than the last time or two that we moved.
Mama Robin is inspiring me to keep going, to see my days of hard work through, knowing my days of rest are coming. I fantasize that like Mama Robin, some time in the not too distant future, I'm going to sit still for the better part of two weeks’ straight. (Sitting on some eggs to keep them warm sounds good right about now!) That probably won't happen right away, as we will have many boxes to unpack and our beautiful new home to set
up. But I will still dream about it!
It may be a busy season and I won’t do it perfectly, but I will continue to rest along the way and reward myself with regular treats like meditation outside in the sunshine, float tank
visits and an afternoon of paddle-boarding.
Are you in a season of working hard? Where are you having to push yourself these days? How’s it going? Are you balancing the effort with ease? Are you listening to your body and
giving it what it needs?
How do you reward yourself? I didn’t use to reward myself much at all. It was work hard, then work some more. Having a “carrot” dangling in front of us to mark progress and reward ourselves along
the way is a much better way to tackle a big goal.
For today, think about the pace you’re keeping. Recognize where you’re taking good care of yourself and where you need to implement more rest breaks.
Think about your reward system. If it’s non-existent, think of a few things that you can treat yourself to when it’s time to renew your motivation. Maybe an ice cream cone, a pedicure, an afternoon of golf, a day on the lake,
lunch with a friend, or a hike at a state park would feel like a just reward for the effort you’re giving?
I don’t know what lights you up, but you do. Give yourself rest and reward, and take good care of your body
so it can serve you for years to come. (Note to self, note to self! I’m always talking to myself first.) Let’s do this!
PS If you missed my previous blogs on Mama Robin, click here and here.
