My new favorite pastime is uncovering images of Black women—radical forces who’ve gifted the world with legendary work—resting easy. These photos have been finding me since I began defining rest and welcoming recovery into my life.
There’s something so warm about this photo.
Audre Lorde, legs stretched, book in hand, completely at ease in her body, soaking up the sun. No urgency. No proving. Just being.
It took me back to what I wrote in 001: What’s Your Relationship with Rest & Recovery?—how rest isn’t just sleep, it’s a feeling of safety, softness, and self-trust that restores our body, mind, and spirit.
But there’s little conversation about the emotional aspect of resting easy.
Letting go of tension.
Loosening the to-do lists.
Stepping outside the cycles that keep us in constant motion.
So here’s your gentle check-in:
Have you made space to soften this week?
If not, no judgment here. This is your reminder and invitation to start somewhere — even for just 5 minutes. This guide can help:
001: What’s Your Relationship with Rest & Recovery?
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June 2, 2025
I have been doing some research on Black women’s relationship with rest and recovery. Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery by bell hooks has been a beautiful dot connector for me, particularly the Work Makes Life Sweet chapter, for the con…
Soak up the sun. Recline and relax. Unclench your jaw.
Rest full, freely, and without apology,
Queneisha
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