Inserting a Pause

I was recently talking to a friend about the importance of pausing. I was mentioning my 2012 trip to India and how that pause caused me to realize that although I loved my job, who I was as a person, and who the job needed me to be, had a gap that was quickly widening. Vacations are are a great way to pause our usual life and to open up new insights and ideas. Do you have your next vacation planned?

Another important pause was my retirement as it created some space in which to re-connect with myself in a deep manner, versus just being busy. There was a pivotal moment before I decided to retire. In that moment I had the realization that if I died right then my tombstone was going to say…

“Here lies Kathy. She was Busy”

Not the words I want etched in stone to symbolize my life, so that’s when I decided to take on the big pause of retirement. And, in the early days of retirement, I had to consciously rest and listen to break the habit of being busy.

Ganesha with flowers, 2012 – India

Time spent in reflection is a way to add in an important pause. I usually start my day by listing how I want to feel and the steps I am going to take to create that. It’s a part of my morning ritual prior to the demands of the day. It’s a time I cherish, as even a few minutes, reap a much different day.

Meditation is a time to listen, it’s the other half to prayer or voicing a request. I love to see what bubbles up as I take time to be still and just listen. Listen to my body, to my mind and to spirit. Even just 10-15 minutes of meditation can reduce stress and improve our problem solving abilties. I like using the Insight Timer to monitor and track my meditation.

The free Insight Timer app allows you to do a guided or silent mediation for the length of time that you choose. You can select different bells at the start and finish. It  allows you to see how many other people are meditating at the same time you are. And it tracks how often you meditate which I find motivating!

Showering, driving, doing dishes, cooking – all have the capacity to give pause. Allow yourself to be fully present when you do these tasks and to notice and enjoy some of the wisdom that can creep in when you least expect it.

It takes consciously penciling in time for pauses to break away from our fast paced lives and demands.

I encourage you to ask yourself:

• Where in your life might you need a pause?
• What are you going to do to create that pause?

Let us know your answers in the comments below. Wishing you joy, wisdom and contentment within those pauses!