I stared out the window for 60 hours.

My husband and I went on a road trip, a drive we had been wanting to do for years – from Victoria over to Vancouver and on to Manitoba, then back home through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

I brought all the things I could possibly need: hours of podcasts, stacked pillows for naps, made music mixes, notebook and phone at the ready for big ideas and social media comments, piles of books and my computer in the back.

But I just stared out the window. For hours and hours on end. I was, frankly, a little baffled that I didn’t need any distractions.

Until I realized that perhaps this was just what my nervous system needed. An opportunity to marvel at the scenery and a chance to be still. To allow my brain to calm down.

When was the last time you were able to just stare out a window, or up at the sky?

I’m in charge of my own schedule. I work from home, and I don’t have childcare or eldercare responsibilities. I’ve recovered from burnout, and my daily stressors are greatly reduced.

And yet – I stared out a window for 60 hours.

Now imagine your teams and colleagues and consider what they need. Is anyone getting time to breathe?

We exist in a world where we’re overstimulated, stressed, and depleted. It’s a real struggle to be your best self, bring the great ideas, and make positive contributions to causes that matter to you when you’re exhausted.

Beyond that, can’t we just rest because it’s natural? Because it’s literally a physiological need? You don’t need to perform or produce or prove anything in order to deserve a break.

Ok, that’s my soapbox for the day. I’m going to lean back and look out the window.

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