Deidra Riggs - One: Unity in a Divided World

We are human. Mortal. Finite. We are not invincible. We break. We hurt. We fall. Neither the work of reconciliation nor the vision of oneness comes without cost. Recognizing when the costs have depleted your reserves is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary. Realizing its time to take a break, and then taking one, is a sign of both wisdom and strength.

There are support groups, movements, ministries, and businesses established solely for the advancement of the notion of self-care. At the end of Another Round , a popular podcast, hosts Heben and Tracy encourage listeners to take their meds, call their moms, drink more water, and back up their data. These are aspects of self-care, and the reminders from the podcast hosts serve as an acknowledgment of our need to slow down and breathe deeply from time to time. We have limitations.

If you care for otherswhether through the work of reconciliation, advocacy, protest, community organizing, ministry, or parentingyou would be wise to practice self-care with intentionality and persistence. There are many ways to practice self-care, including taking the steps necessary to be kind and stay healthy, like Heben and Tracy remind their listeners to do. But many forms of self-care can be categorized as either furlough or sabbatical.

Furlough

Missionaries and deployed combat troops are acquainted with the concept of furlough. During a furlough, an individual leaves the place where they are serving and returns to the people and places they call home. In other words, a furlough is when we leave the unfamiliar for a time in order to reconnect with what is most familiar to us.

When we first moved to Nebraska, everything about our new community was unfamiliar to us. The customs and conversations were difficult for us to grasp. Even the topography was unsettling and disorienting. I felt rattled at a deep level for a very long time. Even now, after having lived in Nebraska for more than a decade, I sometimes find myself jolted, yet again, by the realization that this place is not innate to me. The nature of Nebraska, no matter how fluent I become in it, will always be my second language. My story has Nebraska in it, but Nebraska is not where I grew my roots.

This return to our roots is the essence of furlough. My parents no longer live in the state where I grew up, yet when I visit them in their home, I am closest to my rootsto the things that grounded me and set my foundation. You know this feeling too if you have ever come back home after spending time in a place that required you to constantly be alert to different customs, language patterns, food, scents, and values. When we return home, we are able to let down our guard. As a result, our minds and bodies are more fully able to process the lessons weve learned from our experiences in unfamiliar places.