Brain Rest

Do you ever have a dream that you wake up and you are getting ready for the day, only to wake up in real life and realize that you are still in your bed?

That happened to me this morning.  And in the dream I was making coffee, and it was spilling all over me and the floor.

That was kind of a relief to wake up.  Even if I also realized that I fell asleep after the alarm went off.

It was one of those days where I was tired from the beginning, but kept plugging through.  At least I didn’t have spilled coffee to clean up.  This is why I like to prep the coffee maker the night before.  At 5 am and still in a fog of sleep, I haven’t always been that successful making coffee.

Here I am at the end of the day, feeling the same tired as when I woke up.

I want to find an excuse.  But I simply don’t have one.

Sometimes my mind is on overdrive, and I want to have a reason for things, an explanation.  I know that’s human nature, to try to make sense of the world. 

These past months have made me hyperfocused on the figuring out of life.  Seeking understanding when sometimes there is no explanation.

I think that’s why quiet times have become so important to me.  There is nothing to figure out in the stillness.  No distractions. 

And the quiet times don’t mean silence.  It’s watching the penguin show with the girls, it’s running while chasing the girls on their bikes, it’s making a meal for my family, it’s sewing yet another baby shower gift at the last minute.

The quiet times are slower, yet I feel refreshed and energized afterwards. 

Maybe I didn’t have enough quiet in my day today.  Maybe the day was filled with too many to-dos.  That can’t be helped in the working world.

But I can return home and create that here.

I can snuggle in the afghan my grandma made while I type these words.

I can watch Lucy read.

I can watch the dog sleep.

I can listen for the sound of pages turning on the book Katy is reading upstairs.

I can take those small steps to create some quiet tonight. 

Create some rest for my brain.

This post is part of my 31 Day series.  To start from the beginning, click here.