“I’m learning to rest as a woman without apology.”

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means for a woman to rest. Not the kind of rest that comes after the inbox is finally empty, the groceries are done and the voice in your head (scared of procrastination) has finally quieted. But something deeper. Like stepping off the treadmill of being useful.

At our last HER dinner, someone said lately she’s into bird watching. That made me smile, because it’s exactly what I’ve been doing for weeks now. Just standing still, watching birds and quietly guessing what type of bird it is. It started as a pause, now it feels like a habit.

Because I work in marketing, I immediately asked myself, is birdwatching becoming a new trend? But no, I don’t think so. I think we’re all just longing for something that reminds us of childhood like running barefoot through grass, eating cherries straight from the tree, and not thinking all the time.

In a city like Paris, we keep moving, achieving and planning over and over. But what if doing nothing is not a failure, but a way back to ourselves? Paris is a place where desire, performance and space collide. We as women should claim time to build an interior life no one can take from us. What if rest isn’t laziness, but quiet resistance?

In June, I’m learning to rest as a woman without apology, without productivity, without needing to earn it. Watching birds. Walking slowly. Drinking my coffee while it’s still hot. Giving myself permission to just be.

Maybe you’ll join me.