The Parable of the Lawn That Wouldn't Grow

I came across the following parable, and it stood out to me:

A man bought the neatest little lawn on the block. Every morning, he mowed it.

Not because it needed it—because it could be done.

Neighbors said, "Take a day off. The grass will be here tomorrow."

He smiled. "That's what quitters say."

At first, his lawn looked flawless. Then it started to thin. He mowed anyway—shorter, tighter, more "disciplined."

Soon the soil hardened like a parking lot. Water ran off instead of sinking in. Weeds moved in, because weeds love exhausted ground.

One Saturday, his mower sputtered and died. He cursed the machine, kicked the tire, and sat on the curb—too tired to go buy a new blade.

A week passed. The grass began to return—slowly, unevenly, but alive.

He didn't mow. He watered lightly. He let the roots stretch.

A neighbor walked over and said, "So what changed?"

The man looked at the green coming back and said, "I thought I was building a perfect lawn. Turns out I was shaving it to death."

This is why I don't do work for my career on the weekends.

After a week of school leadership—which includes meetings with contentious lawyers who insult you, student discipline issues, decision-making (some right and some off-base), leading staff meetings, negotiating with vendors—to come home on Saturday and say "let me catch up" can be devastating.

So my Saturday wind-down consists of slowing down: waking up and taking the dog for a walk, brewing a pot of coffee, sitting on the couch drinking it while reading and journaling, then heading to the library with my wife to work on my personal art, writing, content creation, and research.

I also put my phone down for 12 hours at a time. I don't read the news. I don't check social media. My mind and body need time to recharge.

And so does yours.

If you're privileged enough to have a weekend off, remember that and be thankful for it. Give yourself time to recharge. What does intentional rest look like in your life, and what practices have you found that help you truly recharge?