Rest & Restoration: Making Room for What Refuels You

Summer often invites us into two very different stories.

One says: Do more. Fill the calendar. Plan the trips. Make every moment count.

The other whispers: Slow down. Stay awhile. Notice what is already here.

Many of us live in the tension between those two voices.

Especially for leaders, caregivers, and people who carry a lot for others, rest can feel strangely uncomfortable. We know how to achieve, solve, and keep moving. But slowing down? Receiving? Letting ourselves be restored? That can feel harder.

Yet rest is not laziness.

Rest is not the reward for exhaustion.

Rest is a rhythm.

And restoration is about more than taking a nap or stepping away from work. It is returning to yourself. It is creating space to breathe again.

When we prioritize rest and restorative activities, something important happens:

• We gain clarity because our minds become less crowded.

• We build confidence because we're less reactive and more grounded.

• We cultivate courage because courage rarely grows in survival mode.

And perhaps one of the greatest gifts of rest is this: we begin noticing joy again.

Joy often doesn't arrive in dramatic moments. It builds slowly—in conversations on the patio, a favorite recipe shared with people you love, a good book, a sunset walk, laughter around a table.

This summer, I want to intentionally create more room for those things. I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things that have helped cultivate rest, joy, and restoration. 

Here are some of my favorites as I refuel this summer…

Favorite Summer Reads

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: It’s a fun escape book that was also made into a movie

• Joyful, Anyway by Kate Bowler

• All Things Wise and Wonderfulby James Herriot

• Theo of Golden by Levi

• The Girl Who Baptized Herself by Meggan Watterson

Favorite Movies or Shows

• Project Hail Mary

• All Creatures Great & Small

• PBS Masterpiece Miss Scarlet

• PBS Masterpiece Patience

• The Other Bennet Sister

Favorite Summer Recipes

• Burrata Appetizer

• Cannelini Beans Kale Salad

• Peanut Crunch Salad

• I love growing and eating my own sprouts! You can use a sprouting jar kit like this Lulonpon One Sprouting Jar Kit

• Nancy’s Chopped Italian Salad

Favorite Podcasts

• Everything Happens with Kate Bowler

• Office Hours with Arthur Brooks

• Oprah’s Super Soul

Favorite Restorative Activity

• Sitting around our outdoor fire at night and letting the conversation flow

• Van Camping with hubby and friends as we explore the Mendocino Coast

• Enjoying morning lattes on the upper patio with a good book.

• Taking an evening walk and sitting on the front porch to chat with neighbors.

• Having girls night and girls weekend getaways

As you move through this season, maybe ask yourself:

• What genuinely restores me?

• What brings me joy that I haven't made room for lately?

Because the life you're made for isn't only found in productivity and momentum.

Sometimes it's found in lingering a little longer, breathing a little deeper, and giving yourself permission to rest.