Having Enough (In a Have-It-All World)

Well, we pushed a bit too hard over the past month — me with two new projects and DH with some intense work stuff of his own — and, as often happens when we overdo, we all ended up worn-out and with colds.  My stomach is all out of whack, too.

Our bodies do tell us when to slow down, don’t they?  The trick is listening to them.

This time we tried to listen, and stop. So, today, in the middle of the week, instead of a “sick day,” we decided to take a family “health day.”  Concentrate on rest and replenishment.  Only the healthiest food.  Rest.  A trip to the beach to soak in some sea air and sunlight.  It’s helping.  I’ve used many less tissues and my tummy is settling down.

To some, this may seem indulgent.  As for me, I wish we could do it again tomorrow!

I kept thinking today of a segment in the documentary, Sicko, in which a man in France gets cancer, goes through chemo, and, once he is declared cancer-free, instead of going right back to work, he takes three months to recuperate, sail, enjoy his friends.  This was supported and paid for by the French government.

Of course, I can hear the reactions to this now by the ole Puritan-work-ethic Americans who think this guy “took advantage of the system” or was “lazy” for taking three months off of work when he was supposedly “healed.”  But, I think it makes perfect sense.  Healing isn’t just an absence of disease.  It’s not just going back to zero from a deficit.

Healing is storing up rest, energy, healthful foods, companionship, spiritual nourishment, to get our bodies, minds and souls stronger than zero.  To store up extra to prevent other diseases from finding us and for fighting them if they do.

I wish “health days” were more accepted and supported in our culture.  I wish we could all really take the time to heal.  How different do you think the world would be if we actually did?