Resting and Reaping

There is a wonderful story about a few indigenous men who were acting as bearers for a group of European explorers. A few days into the trip, the bearers would not budge from the shade despite repeated protests and threats from their employers. Finally, they were able to make the explorers understand that, in their culture, they rested one day a week, without fail, in order “to let our souls catch up with our bodies.” We, too, need to rest in order to reap and retain the wisdom gathered through experiences, especially the difficult ones.

Immediately rushing on to the next thing, as we are prone to do, aborts the assimilation process by which we gain insight and growth from our pain. Instead, after an arduous climb through fear or pain, we need to stop and let our souls catch up with our bodies, which invites understanding to catch up with our experience.

Resting on a learning plateau allows us to begin the process of embodying the understanding gained through experience. It gives us time for “In Reach,” “Up Reach,” and “Out Reach,” as my mentor, Annabelle, describes the spaces between experience, assimilation, and understanding.

In Reach: Inner exploration to sift and sort the lessons experiences offer and to gain understanding from them.

Up Reach: Asking the Beloved and our higher Selves to help us not only glean wisdom from experience, but also have the courage to make desired or needed changes.

Out Reach: Empathetically and compassionately reaching out to others going through similar struggles.

Loving ourselves enough is the key to most everything.

Excerpted from How to Stay Upbeat in a Beat Down World by Sue Patton Thoele. Available on Amazon.