The Radical Lesson in Running Out of Gas on the Highway
StoryPeople • Imagining World by Brian Andreas
My mom gave me a copy of this print when I was in high school (which I just this moment realized was 30 years ago ), and it has moved with me back and forth across the country and across the pond multiple times. I looked at it today (and I mean really looked at it), and it resonated in a profound way.
I've been thinking lately of all of the things I do because I've been conditioned to do them, and I wonder if you can relate. I'm sure this won't be a surprise to any of you, but I have a habit of taking on too much, and I tend to do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if that means accidentally sacrificing sleep, nourishment, joy, and movement. It is so insidious that I don't even notice it until I finish the project and crash. I've been working to shift this pattern, but it still creeps up on me sometimes.
About 20 years ago I was driving on I-89 in VT in the middle of the night and I ran out of gas on the stretch of the highway that has 30 miles between exits. I was in grad school at the time and I went to Boston for the day to attend my friend's bridal shower. I didn't really have the time for the trip, and definitely didn't have money to stay in a fancy Boston hotel, so I drove home, even though it was late and I was tired. I ended up siting in my car on the shoulder of the road for an hour reading my homework by flashlight and hoping AAA would find me. The universe taught me a big lesson that night: Don't wait until you are on empty to refuel!
I see people do this with their human energy reserves all the time. It is much harder to revive something that is depleted than it is to maintain something that is running efficiently.
I had an amazing craniosacral session with a client yesterday who had an aha moment and said to me through teary eyes that she doesn't remember the last time she let herself truly relax. I thought of all of the clients I've worked with over the years and how many of them could probably say the same thing. It made my heart hurt for all of the beautiful, caring, responsible people I know who, like me, often don't even realize they are sacrificing themselves on the altar of productivity.
I listened to Adrienne Maree Brown speak about radical imagination in the On Being podcast recently, and was struck by the idea that we live by unspoken rules, and that the way to break free of those rules is to imagine a different world.
Imagine what it would be like if each beautiful human in this world was safe, well-rested, nourished, supported, and loved. Imagine what your life would be like if YOU weren't hustling; if you didn't wait until you'd run out of gas to refuel.
I believe in tackling the roots of a problem rather than just the symptoms, and I learned from Adrienne Maree Brown that the word radical actually means "at the root" or "vital to life." In this way, I believe that rest is radical. Rest is an essential nutrient. We live in a world that is depleting. There are very real systemic forces that force many of us to hustle just to survive. If we want to thrive, we need to imagine a new system that maintains our life force rather than drains it. When we can, we need to make the proactive choice to rest and refuel, and not wait until we are depleted to remember to recharge.
Summertime is such an extraverted time. We are headed into back-to-school season, and a busy, politically charged fall. We are going to need all the rest we can get, and we are going to need to support each other in this quest. Let's rest together on Sunday. Join me for Restorative Yoga & Marma Therapy at 6:30 pm. The practice will be held online so you can roll right into your bedtime routine and get a good night's rest. Join me?
