Fallow, def.: Plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility . . .

I'm a proponent of taking breaks. The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing all of us to look at our activities differently. I am regrouping in my writing. I'm starting a new book. And I'm taking it slowly (at least for me).

I'm noticing that many people are at 50% of their normal productivity right now. And not feeling good about it. People are tired. We're strained, stressed, on the edge. Just grocery shopping, homeschooling, cooking and the most basic of chores seem to take a lot more effort.

We live in an era and area (Silicon Valley) that values productivity, progress, success, being busy, shortening launch cycles, efficiency . . . which in many ways is fun and we are surrounded by smart, interesting people. Yet now, we're only surrounded online; the in-person connections are missing, and we're missing the very necessary socializing that we as human tribe need.

So we have to slow down and regroup with our SIP family, whoever that happens to be.

Do you remember summer vacation, right after school let out? The sense of freedom, of sleeping in, playing baseball for hours on end with friends, reading a book of choice all day long, climbing down into the creek and finding frogs, looking for shapes in the clouds . . . (oh, yeah, this was before devices and apps) . . .

Make a list of things you like to do in your fallow time.  Try a few. Rest. If you don't remember, just notice that, and let memories surface in their own time.

When you're restored, go back into your mainstream, and notice what nurtures you, and what depletes you. Play with the balance. Play with your beloved.









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