When Life No Longer Moves Forward
It May Be A Message to Relax
Rest in bed photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash.
The four of us sat at the exquisite bar in the Italian restaurant before dinner.
Bill (name changed) shared a tale on the other side of the bar. The restaurant—his family's business—meant working long hours since his youth. I saw why; the restaurant was highly successful, and the food was delicious. But, it took work to keep pace. Pride and care went into the business.
Still, one day all control had left Bill's hands on the weekend of Mother's Day. A water issue threatened to affect all of their reservations. They were at capacity. Bill worked hard to resolve it, but no matter what he did, the repair folks would not show up on time. The staff canceled reservations.
"You got some rest?" I asked. Bill cracked a smile, shoulders relaxed at the thought, "Of course I did. What else was I going to do."
Rest
I found it interesting that life found a way for Bill to rest on their busiest weekend.
Bad timing, or was it meant to be?
Are these moments a sign?
I think so. Now let me clarify that Bill had already added a second work day for the restaurant to be closed. They discovered it only affected the business a little; adding a nominal amount of additional reservations during the week evened everything out.
The body needs to rest.
I've learned that the mind can be quite noisy. Putting extra work in myself is pretty "easy" to do, pushed by the cattle prod of my thoughts. Yet, the mind and body need to work as one. (Not that the chattering mind cares much about the non-rested body when the to-do list feels like it can't wait. But, eventually, the body will let you know what's up.) I imagine that happened when Bill decided to close the restaurant for two days instead of one, and it worked.
Is Life Cruel or Helping?
Sometimes life gives us a little boost in that direction, guiding us to align our mind and body, though, at the time, it may not feel supportive. However, if you reflect on what's happening, is there a deeper message at play? What is it? Is it your time to rest too?
Conclusion
I am not telling you anything you already don't know. Life has likely tossed some of these bones your way already. Instead, it's the reminder to see life in its broadest picture. An undesirable life situation may not feel good, but if we gain from it, then believe it: life has just sent you a powerful lesson to heed.