I have something to admit....and I really really guilty saying this...but...I am tired and have lost my enthusiasm.There I have said it! I have admitted that I am traveling around the world and no longer wish to see anything new because all I want to do is sleep. How on earth can that be possible?! I am experiencing incredible new journeys and sights every day and yet I have never felt so tired. Lately I find myself hiding under the campervan covers during many a winter morning here in New Zealand. I am usually a morning person and eager to greet the day at 7am without fail. I LOVE mornings, I love waking up full of energy, I adore breakfast and I love life. Until recently that is. Now I don’t like mornings, breakfast no longer delights me with its bread and honey and I am more interested in sleeping than I am in seeing anything new. My 'joie de vivre' has taken a vacation without me. Would someone be so kind as to return it to me please?
I am on this grand adventure around the globe all year, I move to a new town every few days and run a marine conservation cause with my wonderful other half (who by the way is also hiding permanently under the covers). I am also attempting to write two books and we have completed 59 public speaking events in 4 different countries the last six months. Maybe that is why I am tired? I have also lived in a different country every year for the past five years. Ah, now it is starting to make sense. I have been doing a lot of awesome things and I have forgotten to take a rest.
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Rest is where the miracles happen, where new ideas begin to bloom.
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Don’t get me wrong, I have loved all of those experiences and I wouldn’t change them but…I’ll be honest…I would give anything at the moment for my own bed, a pot of decent tea and some routine. I never thought I would be saying that and I feel guilty for even admitting it when I am on this incredible journey with my suitcase. I know how lucky I am to be here but, er, would it be okay if I just had a rest?Rest. That is absolutely what is needed here and it is something I have neglected entirely since we left the UK in February. I don’t mean eight hours sleep and I don’t mean thirteen hours sleep – I tried both and also tried two solid days in bed sleeping. None of those have shifted the tiredness because they haven’t truly rested my body and mind.People often talk of achieving, adventure, inspiring, doing, pushing, dreaming, excitement and travel and I am a huge supporter of those ideals. They are wonderful for broadening minds and living a life that is rich with experiences. I LOVE adventure and doing new things. However, people don’t often talk about just how tiring doing those things can be and that there is just as much need for genuine rest along the way.
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Nobody can wear their superhero pants all the time.
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With that in mind I have taken to resting as if it is my new sport. I am sleeping like a fuzzy bear in hibernation, I am eating like a small wiry pig with an obsession for fruit, I am reading piles of inspiring and comforting books and I am tilting my head to the winter sunshine as often as possible. It's working! The more I rest, the more my creativity and zest for life are beginning to blossom again and the more my anxieties and stress levels are lessening. It would seem that rest is vital for peace of mind, health and survival in this manic world we live in. How did I not know this? Never mind adventure, rest is where it’s at and I think it’s time for another dose.
Stopping can be the hardest thing to do but it brings the greatest rewards*
*As does a decent cup of tea
