In his book Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Wayne Muller writes about a group of nuns who tended to the land on which they kept a herd of cattle.
At one point they sought guidance on the most efficient and sustainable use for both the land and the animals.
The consultant advised them to change the grazing schedule of the cattle.
Previously, the cattle roamed freely over the entire field. Under the new plan, the cattle were confined to one smaller patch that they grazed and fertilized thoroughly. The rest of the field lay fallow.
After a period of time, the nuns changed the active area for the cattles’ grazing. In this way, each section of the land was fully used and then allowed to rest.
After two years of this new method, the nuns found over a dozen new varieties of herbs growing on the land — varieties they had never seen before and didn’t plant themselves. Several new grasses had also germinated. It turned out these grasses were so nourishing to the cattle that the nuns no longer had to supplement the cattle’s diet.
Muller writes:
Where did the new herbs come from?
They appeared from within the earth of this field, seeds that had always been embedded in the soil. Because they had always been trodden underfoot by the relentless activity of the cows, they were never able to grow into their fullness. When the land and the seeds were given a necessary Sabbath, the earth could then, in its own time, reveal the breathtaking wonders of which it was naturally and easily capable.
Each time I reread this story, it hits me at a new level. It speaks to two crucial elements required for us to fulfill our potential, and for our projects to realize the potential we envision for them: rest and compassion.
The Power of Rest
The obvious lesson Muller is conveying here is the importance of rest.
When the land is allowed to lie fallow for a period of time, it responds by bringing forth a variety of herbs that had never been seen before. The seeds that were dormant under its surface were finally given space to grow.
The message here is clear: for our seeds of potential to bloom, we must embrace rest.
For our seeds of potential to bloom, we must embrace rest.
We may not need to lay fallow for months or years — although in cases of burnout sometimes that may be exactly what’s called for.
Sometimes an afternoon away from work or a day off will suffice. But a day off doesn’t accomplish the goal of resting if we are caught in a mind churn about what’s next.
As long as we are thinking about the next essay, the next offering, the next strategy, the next workout, or whatever is next, we never experience the now. And our minds don’t get the chance to rest.
The Power of Compassion
This story also strikes me as a potent metaphor for what sabotages our own seeds and keeps us from fulfilling the potential we have to contribute to this world.
When it comes to the seeds of your personal potential — or the potential projects you wish to bring to form — what are the “cows” treading over the land, preventing those seeds from blooming?
As I reread this passage, I considered all the ways in which we allow others to tread over our own earth — or ways in which we do this ourselves — through judgment, criticism, expectations, perfectionism, and other form of self-aversion.
Where seeds of judgment and self-doubt are planted, seeds of potential cannot grow.
When we constantly beat ourselves down, trample over our spirits — or allow the words of others to impact us in this way — how can we expect the seeds planted deep within us to bloom?
Where seeds of judgment and self-doubt are planted, seeds of potential cannot grow.
The antidote to this trampling is to embrace ourselves and others with compassion. When nurtured with rest and compassion, the seeds that lie dormant within us will finally have the space to sprout and bloom.
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