Lock In or Drift Off
Ourselves, Charlotte Mason Volume 4 ( Part I:The House Of The Body); Chapter 3- Esquires Of The Body: Restlessness And Rest
'A little more sleep, a little
more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,'
I was minding my own business, leaning on the kitchen island, arms folded, scrolling through social media when my then eight-year-old walked by saying, ‘A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest’, and then ran off laughing. He’s currently in boarding school in Antarctica, that’ll teach him. Oh wait! He’s still here. Is there a boarding school in Antarctica? Asking for a friend.
It takes a lot of self-knowledge to recognise when our habits begin to sabotage us. Restlessness can be a good thing. A whole host of inventions were borne out of restlessness. It can serve us well, but it can also be our undoing. It can prevent us from focusing long enough to get anything done.
Think about an archery competition. If the finest archer decides to take his shot while spinning continuously, there’s very little chance he’ll hit the target. Hopefully, no one will be standing nearby to catch an arrow in the leg.
In much the same way, rest restores us, but too much rest can harm us. ‘Maybe tomorrow’ can quietly become five years. The days pass quickly, and the years add up fast.
the person cannot wake up in the morning, dawdles over his dressing, comes down late for breakfast, hates a walk, can't bear games, dawdles over his preparation, does not want to make boats or whistles, or collect stamps, drops in all his lessons, is in the Third form when he ought to be in the Sixth, saunters about the corners of the playing-field with his hands in his pockets, never does anything for anybody, not because he is unkind or ill-natured, but because he will not take the trouble.
Charlotte Mason
The cycle perpetuates itself. The child does less because he is used to doing less. He tells himself he’ll do more tomorrow, but can’t seem to break out of the habit. Perhaps our cousin, restlessness, can help kick sloth out. Perhaps sloth sets in when restlessness has completely died.
Have a great week.
Olufunmike