A Deliberate Fall Rest
Fall is such a wonderful time of year. The air turns crisp and clean, the leaves on the trees turn pumpkin orange, lemon yellow, vibrant red and a shimmering golden. The smells of chimney smoke filters through the air, mixing with whiffs of baking bread in the oven, or a batch of cider is cooking on the stove.
There’s always things on the to-do list that need to be attended. The garden needs putting to rest, the last of the grass needs to be trimmed, closets need refreshing by implementing the fall wardrobe over the summer, Fall cleaning with all the windows open to ventilate, is crying out to be done and the list could go on forever, if a person allowed it.
What happens to a time to rest during the flurry of trying to get everything done before winter arrives? Isn’t it interesting that we talk about putting the garden to ‘rest’ when we don’t seem to have time to give ourselves the rest we need?
I’m guilty of having a difficult time allowing myself to rest. The list of to-do’s often steal my ability to settle in and relax. I’ve been described as a person who doesn’t sit still. That’s close to accurate. Even writing comes in fits and spurts, because I’ll write a bit and then get up and do something else and come back to whatever writing project I’m working on. Rest comes hard for me and that’s true even when I put it on my to-do list!
Organize, Organize, Organize!
Organized people will tell you ‘prioritize’. I try, but I’m not good about prioritizing productively. My goals and targets are adjusted to the best of my ability so that I’m still moving forward, even if it’s a jagged line. So I do the best I can and ‘try’ to not worry about what I haven’t gotten done!
A person with a disability has the added pressure of desiring the life of success as their non-disabled peers. Their goals are before them, like everyone else, but the bar is sometimes set at a higher mark in an attempt to match what culture has found responsible and proper.
We are taught from a very early age we are only ‘responsible’, if we pursue our dreams with the utmost desire. Our world has this mindset we should all be equal in achievements and capabilities. They neglect to recognize, I think, that we are each individuals, with different goals and abilities. Sometimes that’s by choice, other times, it isn’t.
Just like the garden needs rest, our bodies (and minds) need rest, and guilt should not be in the equation, yet it often is. When trying with all the effort we can muster just to keep up, it often ‘turns’ on us and makes each day more stressful, and even more so, if a disability is part of our identifying make up.
Slow Down And Enjoy This Season
How then, can we slow down and enjoy this amazing season of Fall? There are lists on line if you choose to find one. (I’ve added an awesome link at the end of the post if you’d like to check it out!) Here are a few I’m particularly excited about trying!
A Nature walk. This is an activity most everyone can do. Get outside and breathe the clean, brisk Fall air. Your lungs with thank you! Check out the critters around you. Watch the squirrel gather nuts and jump from tree to tree, or the cat (or dog) chasing leaves as they float to the ground. Collect acorns and dried flowers. Drink in the colors on the trees, as your mind wanders back to when you were a child and just ‘be’!
Carve a pumpkin. Carving pumpkins can be challenging, but imagine the delight when you have the seeds roasting in the oven for a snack later, the pumpkin puree saved either in the freezer or canned for a yummy pumpkin pie or pumpkin muffin at another time; and then the beautiful carved decoration for Halloween placed on your porch for others to see! This is Fall!
Go on a hayride. This one might take a bit of research, but it isn’t uncommon for farms to offer this activity at a Fall Festival. There is something immensely satisfying about being on a farm and relaxing as your breathe in the scent of fresh hay, as you ride slowly over the grounds, drinking a warm cup of apple cider.
And if all these fail, grab yourself your favorite warm/hot drink, pick up your favorite book and sit out in the warm sunshine and read awhile!
These events aren’t just for the young, but the young at heart and for the disabled and their counterparts, the non-disabled. It’s the perfect time to make new friends and rekindle old ones.
Rest is vital to recovery, even daily. Be deliberate. Take time to rest and rejuvenate without guilt or shame. You deserve it!
https://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-living/30-ways-to-slow-down-and-enjoy-fall-2/
Photo Credit: https://depositphotos.com/photos/get-organized.html
Photo Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/search.php?