Rest

Tuesday , April 7, 2020

During our morning walk today, we passed this enormous stone slab

and, for some reason, it seemed to me to be totally ‘at rest’. Yes, I know a stone is not alive and therefore can’t technically be said to be at rest, but still, it seemed utterly restful to me as I stood before it. It was simply staying put, remaining, waiting around. It wasn’t doing, just being. It has probably been sitting right where it is for hundreds – perhaps thousands – of years, a permanent, peaceful visitor on this street in Mystic, just resting quietly while the centuries have slowly slipped and rumbled by.

And here’s a look at two kinds of rest – a lackadaisical elderly guy easing the minutes away on a hammock and taking a picture of his favorite lady, who’s resting her heart and mind while working with serious mastery in her garden.

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I was resting my elbows on the arm of my desk chair just moments ago, and it made me think about how many other things are available to help me loosen up and relax a little. All the chairs in our house, for instance, are places for pausing for rest. When I’m sitting in a comfortable chair, it’s like the chair is saying, Stay with me and rest awhile. Even our carpeted floors are places for easing up and slowing down – soft foot-beds, you might say, for tired elderly feet. I guess, honestly, resting places are presented to me almost everywhere – the sidewalks and streets in Mystic that are fairly restful for my feet, the cushioned seats in our car that care for me while we’re traveling, and even, I suppose, the whole earth that’s been lovingly uplifting and comforting me for 78 years. I never have to search to find a place to pause and rest, for my loyal earth is always there.