I remembered this morning, but then it slipped away, forgotten in a flurry of other writing projects, projects with bigger and scarier deadlines. I worked on one piece for one publication this morning and then rabidly brainstormed article ideas for another website. Then I sat down and started hammering out a rewrite of one of my chapters.
And my brain's getting a little tired.
I was reading yesterday about how draining it is to exert a great deal of mental effort. It is. I'm getting tired now, the dreaded 2:30 slump. But not sleepy. Just a little weary.
Breaks are good. A run or a good book are both viable near-future options. I'm still learning that working hard is vastly important, but equally important is resting hard. Do you make time for rest?
It's something I perpetually struggle with, probably because I love my work so much. But rest is necessary to make us better workers. And when I say better, I don't just mean more productive (though that too). I mean more complete and more satisfied.
Rest makes us better Christians. God gave it to us as a gift for refreshment and soul nourishment, a tool to tackle work with more strength and knowledge.
So take some breaks today. Work hard, and rest hard too. Don't abuse either of these good gifts (that's the temptation), but embrace them with equal passion. And thank God for both.