Germinating

“During the times we think we’re being ‘unproductive,’ the seeds of new worlds are germinating within us, and they need peace to grow.” ~Martha Beck

Somewhere along the line, I bought into the notion that I need to be working 24/7. I feel guilty if I’m not writing articles, teaching classes, organizing my home, working in my garden, or otherwise being productive. Now that I’m semi-retired, I don’t want to become useless or irrelevant.

While most of us celebrate the idea of retiring from our jobs, we still live in a culture that rewards busyness. So it’s not surprising that many of us are conflicted (or secretly embarrassed) if we don’t look busy. In response, we fill our days with a long list of activities, rarely stopping to sit quietly alone with our thoughts. We rarely give ourselves the time to be still before we decide what we’ll do next.

Today, Martha Beck reminds us that resting between projects — fallow time — is important, too. If we’re patient with ourselves, we’ll discover that new ideas and creative energy are taking root within. ~CL