by Brian G. Daigle The holidays are upon us and that means days off. Or does it? This is the most popular time of year for employees and school children to take breaks from their work, to step back, to “unplug” from their daily activities of work and school. However, this often doesn’t happen, especially for professionals in fast-paced, high-demand jobs. And it is increasingly more difficult as we have multiple devices throughout the day speaking to us, calling our attention back to the work from which we are trying to walk.
Because we are incarnate beings, and because our physical bodies are crucial in both work and rest, in labor and leisure, it is important, if we truly want a break, that we pay close attention to how we enact our bodies to ensure such rest. Below are a few tips on how to think about using your body to take a break this holiday season:
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by Brian G. Daigle "Broken Stones on Crooked Roads"
Broken stones on crooked roads Under feet with calloused toes, Hold up brittle body and bones. Inside sits a heart of gold; Atop, a cathedral of stone. No pot hole swallows. No stumble thwarts. No ache inhibits the journeyman. Neither do storms rattle transcendent faith. Clear skies do smother A memory full of “It will be well,” Engulfing a sun to orient eyes blazed. Lively songs in chorus round Companions ragged but true. “Rage or Sing,” the Muse once offered your plot. by Brian G. Daigle There are a few lectures I’ve given over the past few years where I start, “This is the kind of topic that has such importance, that I want to make sure I state at the beginning my personal commitment to it, for it is one of those things that I have realized if I do not give my children, I have failed them immensely.” I have prefaced such presentations whether they are given to students, teachers, school administration, corporate executives, or just friendly conversations. As a parent with eyes open, there are perhaps many such topics to which we are committed, for our children look to us for more than we could ever realize. They rely upon us, even in our failures. They delight in our growth as parents, even in our slow progress. They are sustained by what we give them, even in our omissions. We were the same with our parents. As I am guided by this river of fatherhood, and as I further reflect on what my own parents gave to me, as my list of parenting priorities has grown, been polished, and been put into practice, that list has in some ways grown and in some other ways has remained very stable. My convictions for some things have become more solid, and my consideration of others has come more into focus. What are those things I have placed at the forefront of the repertoire of doing what I can to raise wonderful humans? For now, there are ten, in no particular order, that I ensure are ever-present, ever-rotating in balance and depth, in how we spend our fleeting days: |