reprieve, rather than retreat.
when we feel overwhelmed, we may have a tendency to retreat, to close up, to stick our head in the sand. there is an instinct at work there that is calling our attention to a need to rest & take care.
however, if we retreat, the challenge, the obstacle doesn’t magically disappear (raises fist to the heavens “but why not??!”). they are still there, we may miss the learning opportunity, & if there is harm being done, then people are still suffering, & as long as some are suffering, there is collective suffering. we are in this together. love moves us to consider both ourselves & the other, & through the lens of love (born of empathy, embodied by compassion) there is a clarity, & we see there really is no other.
there is another option. we have the option of a reprieve rather than a retreat. we can simply take a break. though love moves us to care for others, it also moves us to care for ourselves. we need to rest & take good care of ourselves. self-care is an act of love. 
so it can be an act of love to take a reprieve from the challenges & obstacles we face & to rest. rest gives us the opportunity to loosen our grasp, to refocus, & be open to new approaches. we can be reborn into action that is truly beneficial.
love is work. it isn’t a feeling as much as it is a choice. feelings come & go along w/ the tide, but our choice, our commitment, our vow to love can remain constant, even as the sea of impermanence brings changes. the world needs such love & those committed to it. hope is born from such luminous space. i have deep abiding hope, because i still see love at work.
the world needs us, our talents, our skills, our love. but the world also needs us rested & not burnt out. take good care.
~j

*join me for some self-care w/ Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays. let’s meditate together. links below:
For Saturday 2/12:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649352

For Sunday 2/13:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649355

**if you feel moved to support this work, consider becoming a Patreon member. 7 levels w/ various rewards. http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

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