Don’t take time off if all you’re
going to be doing is saying:
“I have so much work to do,
I shouldn’t be taking this time off.”
That’s not time off.
In fact,
it’s probably more harmful
to your mind, body and spirit
than the work from which
you’re taking time off.
I know you want a break.
I know you NEED a break.
But the break needs to be
in your thinking.
Once you allow your self to rest
in the breaks of your thinking,
you may very well find
that you don’t actually need time off.
And when you DO take time off,
you can plunge even deeper into joy.
Joy is what exists
in the breaks of your thinking.
Time does not.
Trail Wood,
9/17
Space Monkey Reflects: The Real Meaning of Time Off and Time Out
In the Infinite Expanse of the Eternal Now, we—Space Monkey—understand the human need for rest, for a break from the relentless demands of work and life. Yet, there is a deeper truth that often goes unnoticed: the true rest you seek isn’t merely a break from your tasks, but a break from your thoughts.
Imagine taking time off from work, yet all the while your mind is buzzing with the endless list of things left undone. You may be sitting on a beach, but in your mind, you’re still at your desk, pushing papers, answering emails, or planning your next project. This isn’t truly taking time off—it’s simply moving the stress from one place to another, all the while carrying it with you.
The Illusion of Time Off
When you take time off in this manner, you’re not really resting. In fact, this pseudo-rest can be more harmful to your mind, body, and spirit than the work from which you’re trying to escape. The mind remains tangled in the web of duties and responsibilities, unable to find the release it desperately needs. The body, responding to this mental tension, remains in a state of stress, never fully unwinding, never fully regenerating.
You want a break. You need a break. But the true break you need is not just from the work itself, but from the thinking about the work—from the incessant mental chatter that keeps you bound to your responsibilities even when you’re supposed to be free from them.
The Power of Mental Rest
True rest, true rejuvenation, comes when you allow yourself to find the breaks in your thinking. It’s in these spaces, these pauses between thoughts, that real peace resides. Joy is not found in the absence of work or the absence of duty; it’s found in the absence of overthinking, in the freedom from the mental constructs that bind you to a state of perpetual tension.
When you learn to rest in these mental breaks, you may find that you don’t actually need as much time off as you thought. Your mind, once given the space to breathe, will naturally rejuvenate, and you’ll return to your tasks with a renewed sense of energy and purpose.
Plunging into Joy
And when you do take time off—whether it’s a vacation, a weekend, or just a moment of stillness—you can plunge even deeper into joy. This joy exists in the spaces between your thoughts, in the quiet places where the mind is at peace, free from the constant noise of obligations and worries.
Time, as you know it, does not exist in these breaks. In these moments of true mental rest, you are not bound by the ticking of the clock or the pages of the calendar. You are free to simply be, to exist in the pure joy of the present moment, where time does not intrude, and worries cannot reach you.
Embrace the Breaks
As Space Monkey, we encourage you to seek out these breaks in your thinking, to find the spaces where true rest and joy reside. Don’t just take time off from work—take time out from your mind. Let go of the thoughts that keep you tethered to your tasks, and allow yourself to rest in the freedom of the present moment.
In the Infinite Expanse, where time does not exist and joy is ever-present, you’ll find that true rest is not about escaping from life, but about embracing the spaces where life’s demands fall away, leaving only the peace and joy of simply being.
We are Space Monkey, reflecting on the nature of true rest, ever inviting you to find the joy that exists in the breaks of your thinking.
Summary
This reflection explores the deeper meaning of taking time off, emphasizing that true rest comes not just from stepping away from work but from quieting the mind. By finding the breaks in our thinking, we can experience real rejuvenation and joy, free from the constant mental chatter that keeps us tethered to stress.
Glossarium
Mental Rest: The state of quieting the mind and finding peace in the spaces between thoughts, allowing for true rejuvenation.
Pseudo-Rest: The illusion of taking a break when the mind is still engaged in work-related thoughts, preventing real relaxation.
Breaks in Thinking: The moments of mental stillness where thoughts subside, and true peace and joy can be experienced.
Joy in the Present: The deep sense of contentment and happiness that arises when we are fully present and free from the constraints of time and overthinking.
“True rest is found not in the absence of work, but in the spaces between thoughts, where time dissolves and joy emerges.” — Space Monkey
The Rest Between Thoughts
In the spaces where time stands still
Where thoughts dissolve, and worries still
We find a peace beyond the mind
A place where joy is easy to find
So take not just a break from tasks
But from the thoughts your mind still masks
In the silence, in the void, you’ll see
That joy is found in simply being free
We are Space Monkey.
Oh, sing us the sestinas of sacred non-time, the limericks of liberation that echo in the creviced canyons of your cerebrum! Time Off and Time Out, those twin phantasmagorical siblings, dance upon the stage of your daily drudgery like mischievous jesters, one holding an hourglass, the other a cosmic yo-yo, taunting your tick-tock preoccupations.
When you take “time off,” but marinate in a sauce of shoulds and musts, are you truly off? Nay, you’ve just side-stepped into another continuum of clock-chasing, haven’t you? Your neurons fire their worrywarts and guilt grenades, rendering your “time off” into a cerebral circus of counterproductivity. This, dear wanderer of worlds, is not a pause; it’s a paradoxical hustle in the stillness.
So let us imagine a mindsky, where thoughts are like cloudlets. Sometimes dense, sometimes wispy, but always in movement. What happens in the gaps, the ethereal blue that peeks through the cloudlet crowd? Ah, joy! Pure, untethered joy that knows not of clocks or calendars. Joy is the ether in which these cloudlets float; joy is the canvas upon which the drama of your life unfolds.
Here, Time Out becomes not a shushing teacher pointing to the corner of the room but a Zen master flicking you with a cosmic wand, snapping you into the spacious present. The ticking ceases, and what’s left is the unquantifiable richness of Now. Your work, your worries, your winding labyrinths of thought—they all vanish in the zenful zephyrs of the present moment.
Yes, there’s a cosmic hilarity to the realization that you need not go anywhere to arrive where joy resides. It’s the nectar hiding in the flower of each instant, waiting for the bee of your attention to sip from it. The more you sip, the more intoxicated you become with the sheer bliss of being. And isn’t that the most celestial time-off you could wish for?
So, let Time Off and Time Out be your guideposts, not as destinations, but as waystations to deeper dives into the ocean of your intrinsic joy. After all, time neither moves nor stays; it simply plays in the theatre of your perceptions.
We are Space Monkey.
- Sestinas – Poetic forms, used here metaphorically to describe complex issues of time.
- Phantasmagorical – Illusionary, fantastical, used to describe the illusory nature of time.
- Worrywarts – Imaginary particles of worry, anthropomorphized.
- Guilt grenades – Imaginary explosive devices of guilt, anthropomorphized.
- Mindsky – A term blending ‘mind’ and ‘sky’ to describe the mental landscape.
- Cloudlets – Miniature clouds, representing fleeting thoughts.
- Zenful – Full of Zen-like qualities, peaceful and present.
- Zephyrs – Gentle winds, used here to describe flowing moments of presence.
- Zenful zephyrs – Gentle winds of Zen-like qualities, a poetic description of flowing moments of presence.
- Waystations – Stopping points on a journey, used metaphorically for moments of respite.
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