RESTORE & REPLENISH.
These two words were recently offered up to me at a Qoya workshop I attended via a tarot card I picked up.
To be honest, it may have been the first tarot card that I had ever picked up in my life, but I couldn’t help but be incredibly struck by the appropriateness and timeliness of its message for me.
As some of you know I have had a foot injury that has recently called for my foot to be put in a boot for four weeks and calling for a major slow down in my lifestyle that involves a lot of walking around the city of Philadelphia and a love of being active physically.
REST has been the doctor’s orders.
But I don’t think I realized how much of a trigger word REST was for me until recently.
Don’t get me wrong, I know how to “rest.”
I know how to sleep in late, sit on the couch, skip workouts, play on my phone mindlessly. Not a problem.
However, REST, in my own personal association with mindlessness, has been a part of myself I have worked hard over the years to overcome. It has become associated with laziness, depression, binge eating, lack of focus, and lack of control.
The truth is giving ourselves time to recharge is so important. I know this. We all know this. But for those of us who have also struggled with feeling imbalanced in our ability to achieve our goals or intentions, rest can also feel scary.
Upon being given the words, RESTORE & REPLENISH, however, I was almost felt with a sigh of relief. Here was a more positive, active, mindful, and engaged framework and association to work through this period in life.
RESTORE & REPLENISH are two words that call for nourishment, self-love, inner-work, and active healing.
It is not lazy work, it is purposeful and requires a lot of inner listening and mindfulness.
It is not a “turning off” of our greater desires for ourselves, but rather a period of allowing our mental, emotional, and physical worlds to realign themselves.
I share this because December can be a hard month for many.
There is a lot going on and often not as much time for us to execute on the goals and intentions we may be eager to achieve.
It’s also a natural time to slow down. The days are shorter and darker. It truly is a wonderful time to restore and replenish.
If this is a period you are being called to this December, I hope you’ll think of ways you can actively restore and replenish during this period of slowing down.
Just a few of the things that have been helping me RESTORE & REPLENISH…
- Reading, A LOT. Both fiction + inspirational nonfiction
- Journaling & lots of reflection
- Meditation & visualization of a healthier body + mindset
- Having meaningful conversations with friends + family
- Focusing on taking in nourishing foods, even if there are also treats
- Eating slower and more mindfully
- Stretching or moving the body in whatever ways possible, even if it is much less than normal. Our bodies like to move!
Would love to hear if you are also being called to replenish and restore for any reason, and what has been helpful to you during this time.
