Thursday, October 7, 2010

Take a rest

Today is No-D day. That means a multitude of us who blog about diabetes regularly will let it rest for a day.

Rest is a fine concept. I enjoy rest! Sunday afternoon naps are great (during the NFL & NBA off seasons, that is!). Being a songwriter/musical artist I'd like to expand on that theme of rest, and highlight its importance.

In music, there are rests. If considered at all, most think of it as empty time. On the surface it appears to lack purpose, but that is not so. While writing music, a rest serves a great purpose - it is a transition to a new thought or phrase. It allows preparation for something new, and without rest the piece would be incomplete.

A rest has value. Musical notes are assigned value in their duration. There are very long notes, a very short notes, and all sorts of notes in between! Rests are exactly the same - each has an assigned duration and a specific value. Rests are not empty or meaningless, they have great value.

Rests allow the other notes to breathe. Without rest, the notes being performed would be jumbled together, crammed tightly. This would greatly deter from the piece, so in essence rest gives life to the composition.

In life, rest is equally and important. It's easy to get caught up in the rat race, thinking the harder we work the more effective we will be. That is simply not so. Our energy, creative, and production levels actually decrease without the proper fuel known as rest. When we add any health issues or concerns, rest's role is magnified.

In summary, rest:
1. Serves a purpose
2. Is a transition
3. Allows preparation
4. Has value
5. Gives life

Be encouraged today, and don't forget to rest.



For a list of other "no d-day" bloggers, click here

6 comments:

George said...

You know, a quarter rest symbol would make a great tattoo and has great meaning.

I LOVED this post. LOVED LOVED LOVED!

Awesome.

Araby62 (a.k.a. Kathy) said...

The fermata is a natural occurence, we should all recognize that :)

What a great post!

James said...

Hey George,
Thanks for the comment and the endorsement. I appreciate all you do for the d-community. You are an encouragement to so many. Keep up the great work!

James said...

Kathy,
The fermata - you nailed it! Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the comment!
Take Care,
-James

Cherise said...

Great post! We all need to rest:) I agree!

keely said...

Ummmm.... I am a huge fan of rest and I don't even have diabetes! LOL Love ya fav!