Taking a Pause on Book Release Schedule

Sometimes, stepping back is the best way to move forward: “Rest is not death.”

Hello treasured readers!

After a month of seemingly unrelated health challenges, capped by coming down with the flu this week, I realized my body may be trying to tell me something. I’ve decided to take a short break from the book release schedule to rest and recover.

I am beginning to grasp—in my bones—what I know is true in my mind. Something that my friend and poet, James Crews wrote about in his book, Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Compassion. In the last podcast episode I released with James (https://www.everyday-buddhism.com/115), he read this poem. I am now taking it to heart:

After Burnout

You finally decide to do no more

than is necessary, relishing each new

gulp of air drawn into your lungs,

when out of the flavorless mush

of days, even weeks without sun,

it happens again: life calls you back.

With a hint of chocolate in the cup

of coffee taken alone at the table,

or the needles of coneflower seeds

sticking to your fingertips as you

spread them around in autumn earth.

How all living things want to go on,

attaching themselves to whatever body

or breath of wind will carry them home.

Now stop in the driveway and listen

as amber-gold leaves, one by one,

break off with a simple snap of stem

from branch, that sound just shy

of silence saying to you: it’s time

to release all the relentless reaching

for the light. Rest is not death,

though it may feel like it at first.

—James Crews

I had no idea I was burned out. I’ve felt that before and it was more of a mental thing. What I’m feeling now has been a subtle attack by my body, demanding it gets what it needs to keep the body and mind going. With the latest physical challenge of the flu, I began to put some pieces together: Without health—physical, mental, or emotional—creativity cannot thrive.

During the next month or so, I plan to step away from the keyboard and replace it with my journals. I plan to reconnect with nature and our all-too brief summer, and seek the rest and nourishment my body is asking for. It’s a moment to recharge with a quiet, open mind that is focused less on “getting it done” and more on noticing what I’m thinking, so that when I return, I can bring you renewed reflections.

I plan on catching up on poetry reading, reading for the podcast, and journaling. I will re-run some podcast episodes so my podcast listeners will know I haven’t disappeared.

In the meantime, I encourage you all to think about the ways you can care for yourselves. It can be easy to get lost in the demands of daily life, but even small moments of rest and reflection can make a world of difference. Let’s remind ourselves that self-care is not selfish—it’s essential.

I’ll keep you updated as I move through this process, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all soon. Until then, take care of yourselves, be kind to your minds and bodies, and remember that rest is not death; it’s a return to strength.

With gratitude and care,

_/|\_ Wendy