The signs of winter in South Florida are subtle but still there.
The average temperature drops from 90 to 80. 🌡️
The once lush and blooming Plumeria tree in my front yard transforms into the gnarled and spindly hand of a giant witch.
The iguanas begin to move in a slower, more paranoid manner, as if anticipating the forced catatonia of the season’s one rare freeze.
But ultimately, like in the rest of the country, this is the time of year that the natural world begins to slow down.
Many flora and fauna go dormant. They know it’s time to rest.
But in the human world, and particularly for those in the marketing world, fall and winter is when we really kick it up a notch…or twenty.
Black Friday sales, end of year campaigns, marketing budget scrambles, Q4 reports, last minute launches, final pushes to go, go GO!
While Mother Nature is whispering, slow down, we’re shouting back, after this launch!
Is it a wonder why so many marketers feel burned out? 😩
We’ve created a world in which our performance is measured down to the last pixel, and tied our worthiness to that performance.
Rest, then, becomes our prize for performing well. After the impressions go up, after the rebrand launches, when the inbox is empty.
We’ll rest after we’ve earned it.
I’ve always resented this mindset, even while being swept up in it.
So when I learned about the work of Tricia Hersey, author of Rest is Resistance and founder of The Nap Ministry, it felt like a cozy revelation.
She reminds us that, just like in nature, rest is our divine right as human beings, not a reward for productivity or performance.
We don’t have to prove we’ve worked hard enough to enjoy stillness. We are already worthy of it, simply by existing.
And in a grind-culture-friendly industry like marketing, not only do we get the message that we need to earn our downtime, but the downtime itself is positioned as a tool to increase productivity.
We’re recharging and optimizing so we can come back and perform even better!
Hersey is asking us to rethink this. To actively reject this through being…inactive.
To heal from this mindset through rest, daydreaming, and naps, not because of what we do, but because of who we are.
Just look around this time of year and you can see we have mentors all around us modeling cycles, wintery stillness, and surrender.
Fat bears unapologetically squeezing themselves through their den doors.
Trees unburdening themselves from leaves without asking.
Iguanas noping out without so much as an OOO message.
Not a one feeling guilty for resting. So why should we?
Rest isn’t lazy or indulgent. It’s proof of life. When we rest, we’re not abandoning our ambition, we’re reclaiming our humanity.
We don’t need to earn our rest. We just have to remember we’re already allowed to have it.
I, for one, am happy to take my place amongst the fat bears and frozen iguanas.
📚 From the Bookshelf: We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape
I’m going in hard on the Tricia Hersey love this month. Her companion to Rest is Resistance, is We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape. It’s a gorgeous little treasure filled with meditations, poetry, and illustrations inspired by old hymnals and abolitionist pamphlets.
Perfect for when you need a quick reminder to slow down and listen to your body, heart, birds, wind, dreams.
🍭 Eye Candy
I’ll be here if you need me:
Houseplants by Janet Hill
🎧 Play List
This month’s picks for tuning in and tapping out:
🎶 “Everything Must Rest” - Murder by Death: The tragedy of discovering a 20-year-old band the year they decide to retire is softened only by the fact that I got to see them on their farewell tour last month. A magical outdoor show during an early Florida cold snap. This song is a great entry point to their catalog.
🎙️Episode 388: Rest Stop - This American Life. Classic episode from 2009 with stories from two days spent at a New York rest stop.
📺 All Creatures Great and Small - As someone who gravitates towards challenging TV shows that are riddled with tension and humanity’s darker side, I also know when I’m in desperate need of a dopamine hit. This adaptation of James Herriot’s adventures as a veterinarian in the 1930’s Yorkshire Dales is just about the coziest thing you’ll ever see.
🎬 Amélie - If you know Amélie, you already know why it’s on this list and this is your reminder to go have another rewatch. If you don’t, prepare yourself for one of the most charming, enchanting, and cozy movies of this century.
🫖 Tea Time!
Are you interested in passing out where you stand? Then this is the tea time for you!
Honey Chamomile Latte - Steep 2 bags of your favorite chamomile tea in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Add 1-2 teaspoons of honey. Add your favorite steamed or frothed milk. Now see if you can finish the cup before you fall asleep on the couch with your mouth open. 😴
Put your slippers on and prepare a soft place to land. Then surrender to the warm dreaminess.
The Human Question
Come over analyze with me!
So, the cool thing about rest is that it can come in many forms. Sleeping, daydreaming, playing cozy video games, and taking lazy nature hikes can all be considered types of rest.
The important thing is that you find what feels good to you and then let yourself have it whenever you need it.
Ask yourself these questions:
When I say “I rested,” what did that look like—scrolling, sleeping, being with people, doing nothing, doing something creative?
Which kinds of rest leave me feeling more like myself afterward? Which don’t?
What does my body do when I’m pushing too hard?
I’d love to hear what you are doing to shut down, marinate, and hibernate. Send me your perfect lazy afternoon ritual to [email protected].
Or totally don’t. Take a nap instead. I’ll be in my blanket fort.
End Scene
Obey the sun, babe. It’s going down early and you should too. Time to put on your soft pants.