I’m writing tonight from a kitchen window, overlooking the Oregon coast in an AirBnB Joslyn and I rented for the weekend. We arrived last night and enjoyed a great first day, letting Jaiden (11) pick breakfast (he chose Pigs N’Pancakes – I was skeptical, yet ended up quite pleased), then making our way over to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.

We took our time about the day, wandering through parts of Newport (the “big town” nearest where we’re staying) then arriving back at the beach house in time to enjoy the sunset.

Joslyn and I both find it hard to take time off. We love achieving, the rush of getting things done, and days off sometimes feel like work as we try and figure out what to do with ourselves. Trips are nice because “what to do” ends up somewhat taking care of itself.

I’ve kept the Sabbath (Saturday) as long as I can remember. It’s a 24-hour period from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday where I don’t work. And, as a kid, it was also the time when I couldn’t do anything “fun” (a story for another time).

As an adult now, though, I’ve found keeping Sabbath to be a consistent key to high performance and to my sanity. It seems counterintuitive. I love getting things done. Why would I stop?

There’s something about stopping, though, about putting it all away and taking time to rest, to enjoy the people and world around you, that rejuvenates and brings new energy.

I’ve been won over. As a kid, it was often a bother, though I did enjoy the time we’d usually spend with friends. As an adult, I look forward to it now and am grateful to my parents for bringing it into my life.

How about you? How do you create time and space for rest?