Permission and Help for Rest

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LL8C2U0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Rest. We all need it but many don't get enough of it. And I'm not talking about just the amount of quality of sleep at night.

We need rest for our thoughts, rest for our muscles, rest for our ears, rest for the olfactory nerves, rest in relationships -- you name it, we need breaks from what we repeat over and over again.

Without intermissions in our lives, we weaken to the point of ineffectiveness in what we need and want to do. 

Keep in mind also that not everyone is strong. Some need more breaks than others to cope with life. But with that said, ALL need rest.

For Christmas I was given Whispers of Rest, 40 Days of God's Love to Revitalize Your Soul, by Bonnie Gray. It has been a refreshing read, and although I am not finished with it yet, my spirit has been both rested and strengthened.

In the pages of this book, Bonnie Gray speaks about the necessity we all have to give ourselves permission to take a break. This is not laziness but opportunities to let the body/mind/spirit stop long enough to recharge what is spent. It is not selfish to 'get off the bus' so to speak and sit down on a bench to watch the world go by for a while. 

A woman I know very well teaches exercise classes. She told me how negative feelings build up toxins within the body that, if left unchecked, will deteriorate our tissues and organs, making us more vulnerable to illness, injury, and mental/emotional/spiritual weakness. 

If we are to continue with our desire to be valuable to our family and community, and even to God, we must take time out to replenish.

Some of us fall all too easily into guilt traps that we are not doing enough or not doing it well.  That is probably true because nobody can maintain perfection perfectly! But those of us who are victims of the guilt thoughts are the very ones who need to pull that cord above the bus windows to tell the driver this is our stop. We need to get off.

I highly recommend this book, Whispers of Rest because just reading it through will be a start of the rest you need.

Then there is one more thing I want to share with you. This may come off sounding like a paid advertisement, but believe me, I'm not getting a cent out of this. I am getting the satisfaction of helping others who might benefit from this recommendation.

It's not uncommon for many to have arthritis in the neck and bone spurs in the vertebrae as we age. I've been dealing with it for some 30 years. Although nothing this side of Heaven is a cure, chiropractic adjustments,  ice packs, a heating pad, occasional Advil, and respecting my physical limits have helped me to cope pretty well. 

Another help has been the pillow I sleep on:

My buckwheat-filled pillow has been essential to me for twenty years. I originally heard about it in the newspaper, where it was advertised at Bed Bath and Beyond.  

Unfortunately, BB and B no longer carries it, so you have to get it online. Here is a link for that: Bucky Original U-Shaped Pillow

The outer fabric comes in red, gray and black. I chose red because I want to find it easily when we travel, less chance of leaving it behind in a hotel room. 

This is the only pillow I use when I sleep at night because I need the firm, yet 'moldable' support the buckwheat kernels provide. This pillow enables me to have proper spine position and support as I sleep.

I can zip open the red outer covering and remove it to put in the washing machine. Inside the red outer case is a muslin fabric that encases the buckwheat kernels. There is absolutely no odor to it.

It's somewhat like a bean bag in that you can push and mold it the way you want it under your neck. But it is firmer than most bed pillows and much better than an inflatable pillow. 

Compared to a foam neck pillow, you can shape the Bucky with your hands as you are lying on it, which you can't do with foam. While you can buy neck pillows filled with tiny foam balls, or make your own filled with beans or rice,  they fall woefully short in effectiveness compared to the Bucky pillow. (take it from one who has tried many pillows)

The Bucky pillow is heavy but that is what is needed to give comfort to the neck.

Why buckwheat, you may be asking yourself. I don't know. It just holds up very well and meets the need. The buckwheat kernels are hard and seem to last forever. You can buy more kernels to replace them or add more to the pillow if you want. I have not had the need to do either. Just take care to not get the kernels wet, which would probably cause them to get moldy and then you would have to throw them away. (On the rare occasions when I needed to rest when my hair was wet, I lay a thick bath towel on top of Bucky before laying on top of it.)

The price of the pillow is under $25, and as you can see on the link I'm giving you, it's available on Amazon.

When I make our bed every morning, I tuck Bucky into a dresser drawer. He takes up some space in my suitcase when I travel, but he is well worth it for the comfort of my neck when I sleep at night. Years ago when I forgot to bring Bucky with me, I rolled up a towel to put under my neck. That was too hard and I would wake up with an achey neck that lasted all day.

I can't say enough good things about Bucky. He has been the solution for me for a good night's sleep with an arthritic neck.

So, with a good pillow and a book recommendation that gives you permission to rest, have a good weekend!