Taking It Easy

Saturday arrived in a slightly unfamiliar shape. Normally, it’s a day for performance or rest, but today training carried on as usual. Still, I knew I needed to approach it lightly. A short, gentle session with the sword felt enough. The tiredness this week has settled deep.

Rest — real rest — doesn’t feel like a luxury here. It feels necessary. By the end of the week, I’m often worn down and quietly searching for something other than what I’ve been doing day after day. That awareness of limits seems to arrive with time. Both a privilege and a burden.

I sometimes question it. Is listening to the body genuine wisdom, or just a more respectable way of opting out? I wonder whether we’re truly hearing the body, or simply agreeing with a tired mind looking for relief.

I know I could have pushed through a full session today. That wasn’t the issue. I chose not to — and the fact that it was Saturday didn’t escape me. That thought alone was enough to make me smile and shake my head.

The truth is simple enough. Results come from work. There are no shortcuts around that. Still, I don’t regret choosing the easier path today. The day unfolded gently. Time alone. Plenty of writing. Nothing urgent. It felt right.

Writing has started to feel like a natural extension of how I move through the world. I’m glad my creative instincts keep resurfacing, even here. Especially here. Not needing creativity to earn its keep seems to give it more space to breathe.

There’s something quietly satisfying about that contradiction — not having to create, and finding myself wanting to anyway. It makes sense and doesn’t, all at once.

I posted something about friendship today and then spent much of the afternoon feeling lonely. I noticed the irony. Maybe writing it stirred something. Maybe that was enough to turn my attention inward.

I’m not alone. I know that. I’m here with myself. Still, there are moments when that doesn’t quite feel sufficient. I could always go downstairs and talk to someone. But that would mean navigating something I’ve never been particularly good at.

Small talk.

Maybe it’s time to write some chapters instead.