You know what I need to do in October? Rest.

Since June, it has been an absolutely wonderful grind. For someone who doesn’t know how to slow down, it was perfect.

I photographed sixteen weddings.

My thesis for a Master of Arts in Communication was defended and submitted.

I started my thirteenth year of teaching.

A dozen members from the Class of 2020 trusted me with their senior portraits.

It was awesome. Really, truly a dream come true. However, I am kind of tired. Like, really really exhausted. A three-day nap would be amazing. After living the dream, having some time to rest my eyes and fantasize about whatever is to come next would be most welcome right now. 

As a society, we put too much emphasis on hustle and not on the rest that has to follow it. Nothing can go indefinitely. Batteries recharged. Candles and matches burn out. Gas tanks empty. Humans are not perpetual motion machines. While we may have seasons of go-go-go, we must follow them with seasons of downtime to refuel and get going again.

Like the whistling teapot, we need removal from the heat to calm.

There are a lot of things in live that can get us boiling and rolling—and that’s fine and that can be a great thing. But there comes a time where we need to be hands off and let it be. I type this late night Rosh Hashanah, so earlier today I heard the story of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar from Genesis.  Their interwoven tale speaks volume about the role of trust in what we do. Sometimes we just have to step back, take a breath, and believe that all we have done will be OK.

So, for the month of October, that’s my plan. 

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