You know when you buy a bush from the garden shop and it looks nice and full?  And then something happens – winter damage, deer eat it, or whatever?  And suddenly it doesn’t look so great?  In fact it looks scraggly, and you wonder how to bring it back to its lush, full state?

You read in my last post about how I started clearing my back garden of weeds.  And not plain ordinary weeds that are like 4- inches high that pull up easily.  Nope.  6 feet tall with vines and thorns, (and bears, oh my!).

I’m preparing for a cooking marathon.  Doing something with produce in the fridge that will go bad if I don’t use it today. Baking something grain-free.  Now I’m looking in the pantry for the almond flour.  Ugh!  The shelf where I keep that stuff is so jammed that I can’t get to where I know the flour is.

Have you ever been going along, thinking you're fine, and suddenly hit a wall?  That's what happened to me.  Maybe it's sudden. Or maybe it creeps up on you and you don't notice it until – WHAM!  Smack into that wall.

I was pretty flat out last week, including birthday celebrations, early morning meetings late night song-writing sessions, and tackling some long-deferred yard work.  While I was working outside, I slept pretty well.  Until I didn't.

Suddenly, 3 nights of poor sleep left me feeling like I was sleep-walking through the day.  And then I went for a treatment I regularly have and it threw me off even more.  That doesn't often happen, but it can.

So much for the plans I had to finish my podcast and get it out for Tuesday, as I normally do.  I barely had the energy to brush my teeth.  I even considered skipping the flossing, I was so tired.

As much as I felt bad that I was missing my commitment, I also knew that there was no point in trying to keep it.  I'd feel awful and struggle my way through it, and you wouldn't like the results.  They might not even make any sense.  So I did the right thing – even as it pained me.  I rested.

Are there times when you hit a wall?  Not a wall of argument or push-back, but a physical or emotional wall?  Where you know you can't just push through?  Maybe like me, you really need to stop for a time.  A minute.  An hour.  A night.  Or longer.  Maybe you need to rest.

I felt so much better today.  Instead of sleep-walking, I had a spring in my step.  I got so much more accomplished – and with joy. My podcast isn't quite done, but it will be done in the morning.

And you know what?  The sun came up today.  The world didn't end.  No one emailed me to ask where my podcast or blog post was today.  Resting was definitely the right thing to do.  Even though it felt uncomfortable.

So, if you're at a place that looks a lot like a wall, you might want to rest too.  Not forever.  Just for a while.  For however long it takes to get your juice back.  The light in your eyes. Your gumption.

Go ahead.  The world will go on without your for a time.  Not because you don't matter.  But because you do.

Do you feel like you could use a rest?  What might that rest look like for you?  Leave a comment.