One of my favorite Rest Areas is the first one as you cross the Minnesota/Iowa border into Iowa. It is a wonderful red barn. It has the usual amenities….rest rooms, soda machines, a dispenser with really bad coffee, display maps and information about Iowa. (I will note the unfortunate addition of a casino that now sits very near by, also in a "barn" building.) The big, red barn says clearly "This is who we are. This is what we are about." People drive up in their cars, vans, and RVs, move in and out, on their way to or from….someplace. But first they needed a rest.
Rest Areas are often placed in a particularly pleasing spot along the highway, a spot that seems to say "When you remember our state, remember this." Many are well groomed with picnic areas and places to walk dogs and other travel companions. Children can stretch their legs, run around and get their sillies out before they need to be strapped back into their car seats for the next miles of a trip.Stiff bodies, too long constrained, can remove shoes and let toes wiggle in the grass.
We all need Rest Areas… for all the logical reasons….a bathroom break, a cool drink, a hit of caffeine. But in the larger scheme of things, we all need Rest Areas. Those places where we can stop and slow down, rethink our schedule, perhaps cut back on this leg of the journey or decide to speed up to get someplace sooner, even choose to change drivers.
Often along the highway we will get the warning…."Rest Area: Exit Two Miles. Next Rest 38 Miles." It would be great if life worked that way. Clear direction about where the rests will be, when we can take them and when they will not be available. I don’t know about you but it has rarely been that clear for me. So,I guess the lesson is we simply need to visit the Rest Area when we can, when we need to, when it seems wise and healthy…….unsure of when the next rest will come.
Are you in need of a Rest Area? It is supposed to be a hot, humid day. A good day to think about a rest. Need permission? Here it is. Rest.
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished and rested from all the work. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work done in Creation." Genesis 2:2-3