Learning to Rest in a World That Called Us Lazy
Do you know how to rest? Do you feel guilty when you’re relaxing? Do you always feel like you need to be doing something? Do you struggle to be still, even when your body is asking for it? Are you resting as much as possible when you are releasing? Life is in the blood. Which means every month, when we menstruate, we are literally releasing life. That alone tells us everything we need to know about how sacred this phase of the cycle is — and how much care it deserves. We should be resting. Staying warm. Replenishing nutrients. Sipping herbal teas. Moving slower. Although I’m touching on one phase of the cycle, I was inspired to write this piece after seeing a comment from a man stating that Black women are lazy. It stopped me in my tracks. Because growing up, rest was never celebrated in my world. Even after I completed my chores, if I decided to lay down and take a nap, I was often woken up and told to find something to do. When I was pregnant, I slept a lot. My grandmother would co...