Rest and Restore

My best friend from high school, April, had her first child a few weeks ago, and it has been so wonderful to watch her grow as a new mother. We've always shared a friendship full of reflection, often talking for hours about life, love, art, and nature. Her poetic spirit is kindred to mine, and she and I both have a great affinity for the "feel" of life, that aesthetic quality of our days that can powerfully shape mood and purpose. Now that she has entered this new phase, we've talked a lot recently about what life will look like going forward for her and her new family.

Most of our conversations in the last few weeks have been about the in's and out's of her day, what her new schedule is like, and how the babe is doing. The most important reflection she shared with me, though, was when she told me of the cues she's been noticing in her world telling her to slow down.

I'm not a mother, but I imagine that when I am one someday, it will be very tempting for me to let the picture-perfect type imaginations about how my world should look run my life. Clean house, happy husband, happy baby. It's silly, but I still have this belief that I can be the mom who can shower, get dressed, and do my hair every morning. I'm sure there are a lot of moms that are laughing at me right now, but you can probably relate to this pre-baby assumption, no? We all fall victim to these supposed notions of the perfect life. Rarely do we listen to our own bodies and souls, and accept the cue to slow down as a good thing.

April, after about a week of new motherhood, started seeing these cues all around her. Her body was tired, and needed rest. Her baby was on a different schedule than she had intended him to be on. Things just seemed off, and frustration mounted. At her mom's urging, she tried to take everything one task at a time, but even that was too much to handle amidst the stress of this new life change. Her needs called her to take it one minute at a time. Just one minute at a time to savor the new moments with her son, to learn and to rest. Rest and restore. Let her body, mind, soul and spirit heal and change.

I am so in love with her little boy, and I love that she is learning this lesson. Listening to our body's cues is so hard when we are expected to be so much in this day and age. We don't wake with the light or sleep with the dark, nor do we eat when we're hungry or stop when we're full. It's not realistic to be able to live like a pioneer, but what if we tried to slow our life down just a little bit? What if we tried to pick up on just one or two cues this week, and try to meet what our body is asking for?

These lessons will undoubtedly serve us well, physically and mentally. Being intentional in our lives isn't always about crossing off the whole to do list. It's also about rest and healing. When I check into the "feeling" of my day, I'm usually checking in way past the surface. What is my heart telling me? If it's a rainy day, a cup of soup and a romantic movie usually sounds nice, doesn't it? But look past the surface. A cup of soup brings warmth and nutrition to the body, and a feel good movie can help your mind slow down and connect to your soul.

What is your body trying to tell you today? What is your heart asking you to do?

To read more of April's writing, head on over to her blog Minime with Me.