If You Think You're "Too Busy," This One Is Perfect for You
You're not a machine, you're a human being; the natural world is your model of well-being... and you'll suffer if you don't listen to its messages for you
How might your life be different if you lived more like a tree? Do you envision your days, weeks, months on a linear timeline — going from Point A to Point B? Or do you notice the daily, weekly, monthly cycles you’re living within? Today’s lesson is a reminder to work with your own nature… and not against it. So that, instead of wasting energy forcing yourself to do things you’re not made to do, you can find a rhythm far more indigenous to who — and how — you actually are.
Learning: A Lesson for You to Ponder
Autumn is here, and we all have our own responses to it. Some of us welcome the cooler days and longer nights. Others feel dread at the lessening light. All but a few look around in awe at the bright reds, oranges, and yellows that show up at the tops of the trees and scattered across the sidewalks and streets.
Most of us probably have a vague sense of why this showy display of colors happens every year, like clockwork. We know we had a science teacher somewhere along the way explain it to us. Something-something chlorophyll, something-something less sunshine… and cold, maybe?
I’m not here to talk about the specifics of the science — though yes, it does involve chlorophyll retreating, and light and temperature affect the brilliance of the newly revealed colors of the leaves.
I think there’s something much more interesting than the science at play here, though. So that’s what I’m focusing on.
Look at the energy of it — or the spirituality of this whole process.
Summer has been full of light. These trees have evolved to produce what is, in effect, a magic potion that can absorb the light of the sun… and turn it into pure energy that fuels its growth. They soak up every last bit of light-energy they can, during the summer months. And then, as the days start to shorten, they know: now it is time to rest. So they pull their focus away from producing their magic potion… and soaking up light… and producing energy… and instead… they know it’s time to rest.
The leaves fall. The darkness grows. And the trees stop trying to produce anything, knowing that production is not their purpose right now.
We can learn from these trees.
We are of the natural world, too — as much as we might like to pretend we’re not. The cells of our bodies are made from the very same molecules that animate those trees, and the stars in the sky, and the waters of the oceans. We don’t live with nature, as we often think of it. We are nature. And like nature, we too live in cycles.
Do trees decide they’re “too busy” to rest, when Autumn approaches? No. They do not. So why do you think you can do that? Isn’t rest as essential to your cycles, and your overall energy and growth, as it is for a tree?
Your cycles of rest are just as important as your cycles of production. Your cycles of production are dependent on your cycles of rest.
Rest is not negotiable.
Rest is not something you “earn.”
Rest is not something you do “later” — after you’ve decided you’ve worked enough — but something you need to fold into your every day, and week, and month (all of which operate within cycles that cannot be altered). Rest and work are rhythms that depend on each other.
Day and night.
Summer and Winter.
You need both…
…like breathing in and out.
You need look no further than the natural world — of which you are an essential part — to confirm this as true.
A moment for rest, respite, community care amidst the busy, stressful year-end season. A taste of the Community Care Collective to come.
The Community Care Collective: A Taste | November 12th | 1:30-3:30PM Central Time
This event was created as a gift, with the intention to help support our fellow fundraisers during the busy, stressful year-end season. However, if you don’t necessarily think of yourself as a fundraiser... but you do work with, and for, the communities of which you’re a part... this will also be a good place for you.
If you think you’re “too busy,” this is perfect for you. We say you shouldn’t have to wait until the storm has passed to take a breath within a safe harbor. We think that seeking rest and respite in the middle of it all is revolutionary.
Explore how to create an active, effective culture of community care in your world — which we have found is far more powerful than self-care. Prepare for an interactive time in community, as you deeply engage with facilitators and each other to co-create a meaningful learning experience.
Conversation: Your Chance to Respond
Got more to say? Visit the comments section!
Did you listen to the latest podcast episode yet?
Ep 09 | How Coaching, Creativity, & Community Care Are Essential to Philanthropy
In this episode of the For the Love of Humanity Podcast, I welcome Betsy McDermott Altheimer — a coach, artist, fundraising consultant, and founder of Table Forte Coaching and Consulting.
She shares her transformative journey, emphasizing the importance of coaching, creativity, and community care in her work — and really, in her whole life. She recounts personal stories, including a profound experience at a hospital.
The episode also announces the launch of the Community Care Collective in 2026 — a new initiative aimed at supporting individuals in community-based work through mutual care and coaching.
Practice: Make It Yours
If you’re not used to incorporating rest into your life, you may really struggle to do it. You’ll need to shift some things inside yourself to get there.
➡️ Try reflecting on these questions for a few quiet moments:
What does rest feel like in my body? My mind? What does it look like? Sound like? Smell like? Taste like?
How would my life be different if I prioritized rest?
What resources do I need to make more rest possible for myself?
➡️ Try prioritizing at least twenty minutes of rest — time that is as purely restful as you can muster — every day next week.
Then, reflect: how was your week different?
Inspiration: Something to Take With You
Our drive and obsession to always be in a state of “productivity” leads us to the path of exhaustion, guilt, and shame. We falsely believe we are not doing enough and that we must always be guiding our lives toward more labor.
The distinction that must be repeated as many times as necessary is this: we are not resting to be productive.
We are resting simply because it is our divine right to do so.
― Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto
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