pining away.

I've been thinking about all of the ways in which we refuse to recognize when we need to take it easy. And how eager we are to continue on as if we feel no pain, when in fact a little rest will renew our vigor and allow us to invest ourselves in our activities with greater enthusiasm. Not to mention how being sidelined brings the importance of our normal activities into sharp focus. I mean, I have always appreciated my daily walks, but now I YEARN for them. And perhaps the pining away is good for me. I've always said that the better part of love is the longing.

What else, I wonder, physical, mental, emotional...what else do I need to take a break from? Are there things from which a break would allow not renewed vigor, but a realization that I didn't really need to be doing, thinking, feeling it in the first place? Are there things I have taken a break from inadvertently or unconsciously that I need to renew?

And what have we collectively been neglecting? Obviously we, as a nation, have just rid ourselves of a horrifyingly debilitating entity. How long do we allow ourselves to heal before we do in fact, pick ourselves up, put our best walking shoes on, and go forth bravely into this new era.

I'm being told that the time is now, but I feel like I am still nursing some wounds.