The Resting Room
“Deciding to live means slowing down and noticing the gifts of each ordinary day. Listening as people speak—noticing their quirks and artistry. Testing your food and feeling her touch. Offering and receiving love, no guarantees. No more hiding. No more wishing yourself away. Fully receiving the gift of today” ~ Krista O’Reilly-Davi-Digui
I would like to start this conversation with the deepest of gratitude for you. I understand that the likelihood of losing readers during the time I was in a Resting Room is inevitable. If you’re reading this out of curiosity and are like WTF lady, you were gone for almost 3 months? And then unsubscribe, I totally get it.
And if you’re here, reading this, and will continue to subscribe to this newsletter, I’m honored for your trust. Thank you.
What is the Resting Room you may ask?
The Resting Room is a concept created by Simone Seol. My interpretation of what she teaches is that the Resting Room is a place of intentional rest, physically, mentally and spiritually. It’s allowing space to sit in the discomfort of not creating/ producing/ working. To the unknowing eye, it looks lazy. It’s anything but. Not doing is hard work! The silence can be deafening. The purpose of the Resting Room is to rest (obv) process events, thoughts and feelings, and to reset the nervous system.
It’s a place to go to to invoke a feeling of safety in oneself, by oneself, for oneself.
When Mike and I host Grandma Reilley Sunday, it’s a big deal. Having 30+ people in the house for Sunday dinner is a production. There’s the whole house and yard cleaning, the shopping, the cooking, the entertaining. I love every ounce of it. The joy it brings me is beyond measure. Being home surrounded by the love of an ever growing family fills my bucket in ways nothing else does.
It also kicks my ass. Generally, it takes me two days to recover from Sunday. Two days to release the stress and energy and emotions. It used to take me almost a week. When we were hosting every Sunday, it led to a very strung out Diane.
What I’m realizing now is that time spent decompressing after Sunday, those two days, was me in a Resting Room.
On the other side of the Resting Room, for me, is clarity.
The overwork I put myself through during tax season this year was WAY too much for me. Going into the Resting Room halfway through the season until now was absolutely necessary.
The clarity that came through for me this time is around pressure. Back in my days of memory keeping, there was a huge collective pressure in nearly everyone in the community to get or stay “caught up”. The same is true for any daily creative project (photography, art, writing). In the work environment it looks like “as soon as.” As soon as this job is done… this season is over… this milestone is met… then life will be better. Then I can exhale.
What we’re doing, besides delaying joy until “after”, is we’re creating artificial pressure in the now. The kick in the teeth is that it’s all temporary. A new thing will quickly rise up to replace our current pressure cooker. There is no exhaling. We quickly move on to the next thing for fear of the silence.
Another neuron that connected for me on pressure over these past few months, is its attachment to perceived worth. If I always keep the next project/job in the queue, driving me to finish the current project/job, then I will be seen as and see myself as a “good” worker, worthy of the pay that I’ll receive in exchange.
What I’ve embodied over the past few months is that worth isn’t something I earn. It’s something I am. Similarity, I don’t give and receive love, I AM love.
So what’s next?
More upon more.
More me.
More acceptance.
More looking at the shadows and embracing their gifts.
More voice.
More mistakes.
More sharing.
More conscious creating.
It might be a bumpy ride. I’m ready for it.
p.s - as part of my visoneering process each morning, I imagine what my life and business are going to look like in the future, as if it’s happening now.
One of the things that recently came to me that I will create, is a Resting Room in my office space for myself, my staff and my clients to use whenever needed. The idea came to me as I was receiving acupuncture treatments a couple of weeks ago. I can see it in my minds eye as if it already exists. That room — the calm, peaceful color palette, the relaxing background music, the contoured table that cradles me firmly and gently — that’s what I’m going to create. Besides that it will be awesome, what other accounting office can you go to where you feel zen?! I got you. And you’ll be the first to know when it comes into being.
wild love, Diane
Journaling is a big part of my daily life. It’s how I know what I think. Otherwise it gets all jumbled up in my head and influences my decisions unconsciously. Living life on purpose with intention is my goal. Journaling helps me get there. Free writing is my preferred method, but sometimes I need a little push in a direction to get started. I thought maybe you may need some inspiration as well.
Enter the question of the day writing prompts:
What is your relationship with starting things?
How do you feel about leaving things unfinished?
What new intentions do you want to bring to life?
What provokes you? Why?
In what ways do you provoke others?
Question everything. And then move forward with grace and love.
Diane
My 4/6 line loves a community - if my writing sparked a thought in your head or a feeling in your body, please leave a comment or hit reply and let’s talk about it.
I would be ever so grateful if you shared this post with a friend. Thank you!