"Hands to work [or rest or play...], hearts to God"

Throughout my life, I have consistently struggled with two things: rest and play. For whatever reason, I am plagued with guilt whenever I attempt either. What is it that makes me feel I always ought to be working? Perhaps a Puritanical streak from my paternal grandmother's side, or that Midwestern farmer's work ethic from my paternal grandfather's side, or maybe that relentless perfectionism from my Thai Buddhist heritage... Or, maybe it's just me. Regardless of the source, the pressure to be productive is always there. And I suspect it's the same for many of you.

I don't know how many times I've either heard or read that Americans are just plain terrible at relaxing. Entertaining ourselves is one thing. But really resting - simply sitting, spending time doing (seemingly) nothing, watching the world go by, allowing ourselves to be quiet and still... this is less familiar territory. Similarly, we often have difficulty letting ourselves play, as in taking delight in life just because. It's almost as if the only legitimate activities are those that make money, save time, or otherwise serve some useful function in society. And if we are encouraged to rest or play, it's so that we can in turn be more useful after we rest and recharge. The end goal is still productivity.

But what if we moved away from "guilty pleasures" toward deep joy? What if, instead of simply putting in required face-time with friends and family, we relearned how to delight in each other's company? What if our rest enabled us not only to get by, but to feel truly restored and in touch with our core passions? Let us take our cue from biblical examples of feasting, from Jesus' call to come away and find rest, from the "uselessness" of art, from the centrality of silence in monastic life. Believe it or not, our Christian tradition is richly endowed with a spiritual joie de vivre. I encourage you (as much as I encourage myself) to make rest and play an integral part of your schedule, your self-care, your spirituality.