This may require some stretching, but we’re going to try it anyway.  Stretching often feels good and is good for you too!

I recently read something about Olives being an “alternate bearing crop” which means they don’t produce fruit every year.  The produce, they rest, they produce, they rest, and so on and so forth as they move throughout their lives…  Here comes the stretch…

Olives (at least the olive branch and subsequent extension of it) symbolize peace, right?  There must be a connection then, between rest… and the essentiality of rest to production of fruit (replace fruit with whatever your purpose is on this earth)… and peace.

The peaceful ocean in Alaska. Even it takes a break from making waves and just breathes through ripples instead…

My whole life peace is all I’ve ever wanted.  Happiness yes, but more than that–peace.  Love absolutely, but in that love–peace.  Every feeling I want to have or object I want to possess or status I want to achieve comes from a longing to feel peace.  To live without worry or frustration or the frantic numbness (yes, frantic numbness… it’s a thing) of overwhelm and stuckness.

And I’ve been convinced for far too long that peace is something to work towards… when really, as the olive trees know, perhaps it is something to rest for.  Perhaps, peace comes in the stillness, and while there certainly is stillness on the summit of a mountain trek, there is also stillness in hiding in your bedroom while your son plays a computer game because you’ve had enough stimulation and heard your own name (momma–i need, momma–i want, momma–i’m hungry, momma–my stomach hurts, momma–come praise the amazing thing i just did) enough for one day (lifetime).

So, that’s the stretch.  Because the olive tree knows that it needs to rest to bear its fruit and it’s fruitful purpose is to generate peace, if I want peace… I need to rest to.  I give myself permission to rest.  I give you permission to rest too.

Go do that.  now.