It is Allah Who has made the night for you to rest in and the day bright. Surely Allah is ever Bountiful to humanity, but most people are ungrateful.
- Quran 40 : 61
3. #DogDays : Embracing A Wounded Body
Saturday, December 30th, 2023
10 : 44 AM
When I was younger
I boxed for two years
Then I transitioned to wrestling
And I did that for two years …
Though I have absolutely
No regrets in participating
In those sports …
It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties
That I learned how to rest my body …
But at times
I easily fall back to my default :
”Let’s push just a little more.”
Wednesday and Thursday
I hiked though my sides pained.
It would have been wiser to rest …
”Let’s push just a little more.”
Thursday night was the worst
I was unable to sleep as I was
Tossing and turning
And finding a side to settle into
That was “less painful”
So Friday, I was forced to rest.
I woke up that morning
- Exhausted with only three hours of sleep -
And though it was tempting
To fall back into my old mentality
And schedule a hike …
”Let’s push just a little more.”
I knew that would make me unhappy.
The lesson for me was that
I no longer have to prove anything
I don’t have to break my body
To accomplish a predetermined goal
I can be more sensitive to my body …
Listen when it needs to rest
Embracing it when it is wounded
Allow the pain to flow
And encouraging it when
It is in an environment
To accomplish a test …
”Rest a little more …”
- K.S. Fort
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