Work Hard, Rest Well
The “Art of Living Well” is just that; an art. Any artist will tell you they have to work at their craft. The world famous violinist Jascha Heifetz once said, “If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days the public knows it.” So if you’re really serious about the art of living well, you’re going to have to take “re-creation” seriously enough to work at it. What an odd idea; that we would have to work at recreation and restfulness. But I’m working on the assumption that you’re at least a little like me in that you work too much, with too little rest and renewal.
We can even believe we’re at rest in many different recreational activities when in reality we’re just adding to our busyness. It’s also possible that we’ve never known real restfulness and a deep, quiet peace, so we’re without any reference point. If this is true, we’re going to have to work at this up front to gain some life changing insight.
Today’s post is Part 1 in a 4 Part thought provoking exploration of fun, laughter and restfulness. In Part 2 we will examine the culture we live in. Part 3 is about examining how we’re each individually hard wired. Part 4 will discuss reaching a level of commitment to act.
For some, it can be helpful to use a pen and notebook to write out observation, deeper insights, convictions and goals. Let me be clear – for you ladies, this is called journaling; for us guys it’s called makin’ our lists. For all of us it can really help to bring clarity and order to our thoughts.
Thought for the day: Work hard; have some fun; sleep well.
