Too Tired to be Inspired

I haven’t recorded my thoughts in a while. I came down with the flu and felt miserable. I was sick, I was lethargic and I was tired.

Too tired to be inspired.

This was fine with me as I knew that the feeling would pass. I listened to my body and didn’t push my limits. I allowed myself to step back and to get the rest that I needed. As always, taking time to rest worked wonders.

There was a time, however, not so long ago, when being too tired was my default state. I wasn’t sick, but I was in definite need of healing. My body may have been healthy, but my spirit felt weak and depleted. Rest was the obvious course of treatment, but I had no time to fill that prescription.

As I thought about this, about living in a constant state of exhaustion, I suddenly understood why I had gone so long without feeling like myself:

I was too tired to be inspired.

I was too tired to notice.
I was too tired to create.
I was too tired to pursue passion.

Whereas I know that there are times when we will truly be too tired for many things and for many reasons, I am determined to no longer allow exhaustion to be my natural state.

And so I now allow myself the time to rest and to recover, even though I may not be ill.

I allow myself the space to breathe and to notice, even though I may have much to do.

I allow myself the opportunity to create and to be inspired, even though the creativity and inspiration have nothing to do with my job description.

I use the word ‘allow’ because I used to think that these things were prohibited. That they were somehow a misuse of precious billable hours. But the truth is, a life without these avenues for ‘being’ equates to a life in which we constantly feel too tired.

I no longer want to be too tired to be inspired.