Tricia Hersey is my hero.
She is the Founding Pastor of The Nap Ministry, as well as an author, activist, and self-proclaimed daydreamer. I read her book, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto during my sabbatical, and it changed the way I view rest, work, my value as a child of God, and resisting the grind culture so prevalent today. In fact, I’ve already written about it here.
Hersey writes about her journey reclaiming the practice of rest as a way of upholding her value and self-worth while resisting a pace that leaves her exhausted. Rest Is Resistance opens with these words:
“I wish you rest today. I wish you deep knowing that exhaustion is not a normal way of living. You are enough. You can rest. You must resist anything that doesn’t center your divinity as a human being, You are worthy of care.”
Hersey recalls daydreaming as a child, spending the whole summer sitting on her front steps, staring at the clouds, singing to herself, and making up stories. And then as she aged, opportunities like this to daydream started happening less and less. Everyone told her she had more important things to do.
My experience is similar: daydreaming and living in my imaginary world so much as a child. Then slowly over time, my headspace fills with all of the duties and demands of being an adult.
But, what if it doesn’t have to be like this? What if daydreaming isn’t just a privilege or special treat I allow myself when I’m on vacation? What if I take up daydreaming as a practice?
Hersey likens daydreaming to “downloading” – I love this imagery because it shifts the direction of the action from wandering to receiving. How else do we give our minds the space not only to breathe but also to problem-solve, discover, or create?
Busy people never have epiphanies.
I feel this pressure so much.
I simultaneously have too much to do and look around at my peers and wonder how they do so much more than me. Not to mention the good ole protestant work ethic that tells me I need to justify any time I take for myself.
During college and seminary when someone would ask me how my day was, I would evaluate how I was doing based on how much I got done. I would say things like, “It was good; I was really productive.” Or, “The worst! I have so much more to do!”
While my work has changed and the pace is different, I still feel the pressure to make the most of my time and to be as productive as I can. And if my workday to do list seems daunting, wait till you see the to do list for my day off!
So for Lent, I’m giving something up. I’m following Hersey’s lead and giving up the time crunch of wanting to squeeze out as much productivity as I can from every moment.
I’m giving up the anxious feeling that I’m forgetting something or I need to be somewhere – that feeling that I can’t let my mind wander.
I’m giving up the illusion that God needs me to be effective and productive in order to keep world turning. On the contrary, God and the world will do just fine if I take a breather every now and then.
Instead, I’ll practice daydreaming for Lent. For these 40 days, I will exercise trust by letting go of the illusions that I’m in control. I’ll reclaim my value as a human being not a human doing. I will trust I am loved no matter what I am doing at any given moment. I will take time to do nothing, and soak in the blissful freedom of being unproductive.
Easier said than done. I am fully aware that this may be very hard for me, which is precisely why I need to do it.
Daydreaming will take faith and trust.
And that’s what I need to practice more than anything this Lent.
Almost Named Grace marks a year of weekly posts! This newsletter started as a practice for Lent in 2023, and I just kept writing. Thank you to everyone who has joined to be a part of this community.
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~What I’m reading~
And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sens of Middle School by Judith Warner
Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the future of America’s Overdose Crisis by Beth Macy
Oooh what a great Lenten practice! And I love Tricia Hersey too, I just bought her Rest Deck recently and will sometimes pull a card from it to lead a devotion at work or with my spiritual directees.
And congrats on a year - that is a feat!
I’ve been reading/hearing more about how our brains are not wired to function with all the input from our modern world, and without the quiet space of doing nothing, our imagination is diminishing. I shall join you in your daily daydreaming!