We Made it...May!
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Papaya Strawberry bowl with fresh fruit, raisins, coconut flakes, goji berries and flax seed.
aaaaand rest…
Burn out is not the word. Utter exhaustion is more accurate. Frenchie has been beyond extended on all fronts: physically, mentally, spiritually. Giving so much into this book project, giving so much to community, giving to those around. It’s a beautiful life to be doing exactly what I want to be doing, but rest is so very necessary. The month of May is about keeping things easy. And resting. These are the things I am committed to. Award-winning writer and good friend Alicia Elliot writes a column for Open Book, On Burn Out that resonates so deeply:
“I want to fill my creative reserves back up. More than that, though, I want to feel like a person again.”
I hear you, Alicia. My plan for this month, and maybe even longer, is to give myself permission to rest. To read. To see all the dopest plays and arts shows and films. I’m going to call up my friends who probably thought I disappeared into the abyss. I’m going to go bike riding with my dad, hang with my sisters, hit up the museum with my mom. I’m setting boundaries.
It has been a very long time since I was this burnt out. What are the ways you recover? Do you ever feel guilty for resting, do you accuse yourself of being “lazy” even though all your body wants is a split second of rest. What are the things that nourish you? I am so grateful for the success of the book, but at this moment, I’m very grateful for a month to breath. I’m still doing the story doctoring work, and supporting young folks with their stories. But now, my calendar isn’t full. My suitcase isn’t packed.
I’m settling in. And I don’t know what’s coming next.