| As I was getting ready to start the first class after winter break, my student looked at me and said, “Mrs. Smith, it doesn’t look like 2026 is your year.” She was not wrong. Only a week in, and I was losing a serious battle with influenza A and bronchitis.
It was not the start I had anticipated. Instead of embracing new ideas and tackling to-do lists, I was forced to stop. My exercise streaks ended. My plans were canceled. My couch and I became best friends.
I decided to take this as an unintentional blessing. Instead of the “fresh, new, start, beginning” that is usually associated with January, I want to “rest, unwind, recover.” My Instagram feed flooded with posts about the idea of “wintering” and waiting for nature to heat up and grow in spring. By then, I might be ready.
Until then, I will practice rest as resistance. I will return to Tricia Hersey’s manifesto Rest is Resistance to remind myself that the system is broken, not me. We need to challenge the belief that “Rest is radical because it disrupts the lie that we are not doing enough.” And I will not be productive if I am not rested.
Every day we show up. And that is a lot. And sometimes, that is enough. Keep doing the hardest job. And remember to rest.
Best,
Nikki Smith
ICTE President |
