The Art of Active rest: May 1st

It is May 1st. As I begin this new month, I would like to share a brief reflection from my journal.

The morning began with a heavy downpour. Rainy days possess a mysterious gravity that forces us to shut out the external world and dive deep into our inner selves. Just as I was ready to embrace an active May, this rain arrived—a reminder that June will likely bring more of these long, introspective hours. It is a prospect I have actually come to look forward to.

The sound of the rain always brings to mind the "rain in Macondo" from Gabriel García Márquez’s world. The overwhelming imagery of solitude feels as though that magical realism is manifesting in my own reality. There is something truly special about being indoors, listening to the roar of the rain outside. To me, rain is synonymous with rest, yet i've come to realize that rest is not merely about staying still.

Right on cue, as if by some perfect accident, Michael Jackson’s Human Nature is flowing through the room right now. The spacious reverb and the cool air seem to stimulate my unconsciousness and expand it, and I find myself instinctively stretching and moving my body to the rhythm. Sometimes, this "Active Rest" is the ultimate healing. It is like a process where the contours of the self dissolve into the rain, just like the world of Macondo.

"If this town is just an apple, then let me take a bite." — Those words catch my ear with a captivating allure. After a morning spent in my own "abyss" of rain and reflection, I feel that same quiet urge to reach out and taste a little bit of the world outside.

That impulse to dive out, to dance in the rain, and to merge with the external world. Just as the song calls, you know how it is. There is no logic to it; it’s just human nature. It is a luxurious experience—feeling my subconscious sink into the abyss while my physical self finds liberation through movement.

This morning’s dive into my own imagination has been the perfect "mental fuel" to navigate the active month ahead. I expect the skies to clear by early afternoon, marking the start of a vibrant May.