Ann Boyd: Finding Rest in Everyday Activities...Like Cooking!

In my work with children, I have the privilege of serving alongside lots of great people. Ann Boyd is a wife, mom to two kids, homeschooler, editor of an online magazine, musician and…a wonderful cook.

Every time we have a meeting at her house, she always offers us something delicious. Heck, any time we have a meeting any place, I ask her to bring a yummy treat.

In the midst of the many hats she wears, Ann and her family have made a conscious effort to observe a time of Sabbath every week. I imagine this must be particularly difficult to do since we live in a world that, for the most part, does not practice being slow very often. Often, even our rest is rushed.

To pursue this kind of meaningful slowness, Ann makes it a point to release Sabbath from its Sunday cage. She knows that the true spirit of rest is not something that is just reserved for the weekend; rather, our weekday activities can be infused with restfulness as well. The key to finding this kind of rest every day is to eliminate hurry as much as possible as we go about our normal activities.

Last Sunday in church, Ann shared about this in a memorable way. She brought a watermelon, some mint, and some lime juice and made—you guessed it—a delicious watermelon salad while she shared with us some practical ways we can nurture restfulness in the midst of everyday chores (especially cooking).

I asked Ann if I could share her helpful tips on playfull.org and she graciously agreed. I slightly adapted a few of her words so as to make a little card you can print out, if you like.  I hope it helps. (Please note: this is copyrighted material. Do Ann a favor: don’t steal this or use it without asking her permission.)

  

I encourage you to read a brief explanation of each tip on her interesting (and food-inspired!) blog. She’s a great writer, by the way. 

I especially appreciate that Ann mentions she does not always practice all these tips with 100 percent success. Rather, the art of being unhurried will always be a work-in-progress. We will never be “perfect” at it. Still, to remind herself that it is good for us, she has these tips printed and posted in her kitchen. Whenever she cooks, she wants to try doing it in an unhurried way as much as possible.

I encourage you to take some time right now to reflect for a few minutes in an unhurried way. Ask yourself: “How hurried is my life? Are there things I can change so I can eliminate hurry from my life as much as possible?” Take a few minutes now to consider how you can, as Eugene Peterson writes, “learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” (The Message)

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Thank you for reading. PlayFull exists to help people play from the inside-out and we believe that the fullest kind of play is unrushed. To stay abreast of helpful (and light-hearted!) content, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.