I Made You Some R&R Activity Menus

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 2: Plus, the origin of "R&R".

From Le Cirque Corvi, by Georges de Feure

It’s Week Two of  Summer Camp for Beauty Hunters. If you’re joining us now, here’s an intro to what we’re doing. In a nutshell, we’re spending Summer 2024 reimagining R&R, and play. Every Tuesday I’ll provide our week’s theme and activity. Jump in at any time! Summer Camp is for paid subscribers, but free to all subscribers through July 3. After that, you can upgrade to a monthly subscription, and pay $8 per month, which means full-on summer camp for 12 weeks, at just $24. ☀️

Dear Beautiful Campers,

Do you know where the term “R & R” comes from?

It originated in the military, during and after WWII. R&R, which stood for Rest & Recreation, was an active leave given to soldiers. Soldiers were encouraged to use their time off to see family, travel, engage in sports and favorite activities, and rejoin their volunteer services. (Apparently, a lot of R&R took place in brothels.)

R&R is now defined as:

• Rest & Recreation

• Rest & Relaxation

• Rest & Recuperation

• Rest & Rehabilitation

My favorite here is Rest & Recreation. I think I can move the “relax” portion into the “rest” category, and balance the downtime with recreating because engaging in the world tends to be more restorative and refreshing in the end—as much as I resist it.

How about you? Life brings us different chapters and passages, and various paces in the music of living. Let yourself play the spectrum, AND—gently tip-toe to the edges just to see what’s new and true in R&R for your system.

Your R&R Activity Menu, Week 2

• Think about what R&R means to you and does for you. Write it down, even if you’re not sure. Even if your pulling it outta your arse. I’ll go first:

  
  R&R is any activity that refreshes the spirit, fills the tank, offers a needed rest in the music of life, and gives me the pep and spark to engage with the world and lighten up.
  

  Something like that. Feel free to make this your own, or modify it.
  Then use your R&R definition as a compass, a directional. When feeling drained or carved out, ask yourself what might be a good R&R companion activity to turn to.

  Sometimes it’s a nap or reading, other times it’s saying yes to a run, or playing with some kids, helping a friend, going outside, inviting a neighbor on a walk, getting some candy on the calendar, leaving the house, doing a craft—and HEY, that was better than zoning out in my own little world!
  
  Wrong turns, goofs, they’re all for the learning. There’s no knowing what the right or best form of R&R is, so let’s agree to not ever really know, but instead get out there and see what’s true.

Make yourself a menu of R&R activities.

Here’s mine, if it helps you get started. I like a flower shape, and sometimes use it as a To-Do list.

You might prefer to create your R&R menu in Bingo-card style. If so, you can make one here.

You can make one with fewer squares. These are some ideas. Apologies to arts-and-crafters for my omission. Please add.

Maybe you’d like to try a menu with three courses—apps, main course, dessert—a variety of activities for each summer month (going through September). Or a simple to-do list. Sticky note. A letter, or invitation. YOU NAME IT. We can do this all summer long!

That’s our Week 2 activity, friends. Once again:
🌺Come up with your own bespoke definition/description of R&R.

🦋Write out a menu of R&R activities and offerings, and let’s say: Aim to do two of these. If something new strikes you, add it, and tell us about it in Comments.

Happy R&R-ing everyone.