Rest Ethic

“Instead of asking: ‘Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?’ I’ve started asking, ‘Have I rested enough to do my most important, loving, meaningful work?’

“We don’t work to rest; we rest to work.”

(Attributed to Sharelle Grant or Nicola Jane Hobbs)

A constant sense of urgency is a feature of White dominant culture and is not compatible with the life I endeavour to lead. As a descendent of enslaved people and as a Black woman, rest for me is primordial. The labour of both of these groups has been historically exploited and continues to be exploited and taken for granted. These groups were and continue to be denied rest. Black women live under a constant sense of low-grade, constant stress because of the intersections of racism and sexism, as well as misogynoir. This shows up in our health and affects our longevity in multiple ways.

Thus, for me, rest is resistance (when connected to Black liberation) and adequate time for reflection is important.

I really dislike when people talk about rest in terms of being “earned” or “deserved.”

You get to rest because you’re human and you need it.

I lead and work from a place of rest. Adequate rest — not grind — is my priority.

What this means for you is that while I understand deadlines and timelines and usually meet and respect them, my pace differs from the pace of grind culture and as such I may move slower and with more deliberation.

It also means that while I try to reply to emails as quickly as possible, at times I may require a few days to reflect on the matter to respond appropriately. A delay in my response is not indicative of the importance I place on your email. That said, if you haven’t heard from me in a week, please feel free to follow up.