Rhythms of Rest & Renewal

Sandy Johnson
Coach for Treetops Collective Team Members

We are almost halfway into 2020. There has been so much going on in our nation and in the world and it has stretched us and challenged us. There aren’t easy answers but understanding the realities of history and science reminds us to keep pressing in, to keep fighting, to keep challenging. We are people who so often want safety and comfort (and control) but we are reminded, that is not the journey we are on. Instead,  we are invited into caring for our neighbors, fighting for justice, and joining together with others to create communities where everyone can flourish. Deep wisdom is needed.

There is much to do.  And, our work matters.  

There are lots of adjustments to make, lots of re-thinking, lots of patience, lots of pain, and lots of resilience. We are reminded daily that we need to be pushing forward and stepping away.   

Recently, at Treetops, we have been working to articulate our values, the picture of the community we want to be and we desire to see in our broader community. It’s almost like sitting with that beloved phrase “I have a dream….” 

We have continued to recognize our work as something that is as important to the “how” as to the “what” and, maybe even more important. We have noted that “our success” isn’t about arriving, it’s about the journey.  

And so, we value rhythms that recognize rest and renewal as part of “wholeness.” We value the time set aside for growth and rest because we want to bring our best selves. 

As we looked at our rhythms at Treetops, we saw an opportunity to “be dormant” for the first week of July. We’ll be closing our doors, shutting our laptops, and unplugging Monday, June 29 until Friday, July 3, back in the office on July 6.

Why would we consider this when there is so much work to do?

First, “shutting down” allows us to slow things down in our soul.

Secondly, we truly want to “go dormant” to follow the natural order of creation.

Thirdly, we want to truly reflect our deep desire and our value to recognize our humanness, to steward our energy, to honor the need for rest, and to represent a community that values not only our “doing” but also each “being.”

And, maybe, just maybe, we can find rest for our souls, and wisdom for these times.  

I want to leave you with this beautiful invitation for your own life as you too, seek to be your best self, to have your “doing” flow out of a beautiful “being”:  

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from us.  We need hours of aimless wandering or spates of time sitting on park benches, observing the mysterious world of ants and the canopy of treetops.  

If we step away for a time, we are not, as many may think and some will accuse, being irresponsible, but rather we are preparing ourselves to more ably perform our duties and discharge our obligations.  

When I return home, I am always surprised to find some questions I sought to evade had been answered and some entanglements I had hoped to flee had becomes unraveled in my absence.  

A day away acts as a spring tonic.  It can dispel rancor, transform indecision, and renew the spirit."

Maya Angelou