Have I rested enough?

This summer I did what I never thought I could do as a professional musician: I left my cello at home and I didn’t practice for 30 days.

I grew up with the expectation of practicing every day, or “only practice on the days you eat”. Of course, there have been days (or a week here and there) where I didn’t practice, but instead, the guilt and shame would make my stomach turn into knots and my hands would start itching.

Of course, I heard about people taking time off. I know of musicians who take a day off every week, or others that religiously take 2 weeks off every year. But in the back of my mind, I judged them.

The Heifetz quote about people being able to tell if he took more than a day off came to my mind, and I thought that they must not be at the top of their game!

So, what happened in my month off? Did I forget how to play the cello? Did my technique slip, musicianship rot away or my intonation suffer?

Surprisingly, no.

In fact, when I got back to practicing, it was like riding a bike! I started playing in short time segments at first, and built up to my normal routine in the span of a week.

However, I did lose my calluses on my fingertips which were painful to get back, but it was worth the deep rest that I needed.

Here’s what I learned: I am not a robot. I need rest to play my best.

In fact, instead of asking myself if I have practiced enough, I ask myself if I’ve rested enough to be my most expressive and creative self?

Inspired by Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey @thenapministry