Pause

Merry Christmas Eve. I hope that this finds you well, and warm, and in good spirits. This time of year is a big time of reflection for us, isn’t it? The world slows down, just a little bit and we start thinking about the past year in review. We also start musing about what we want in the new year and beyond. I’ve heard a lot of people mention that the year 2023 is a year for healing. I like that thought. Collectively, we’ve been through a lot in the last few years. I don’t feel like we’ve had a lot of downtime, or much of a “pause”, in order to process everything which we have been through. It is my hope that 2023 is a calming, healing, easy going, “let’s catch our breath and recalibrate” kind of a year.

The Wise Connector asked his Twitter followers to list three things that they have learned in 2022. I plan to ponder on that thought for a little bit. I like to integrate important lessons, so I am better equipped for my journey moving forward. This year I have learned to trust the mysterious ways of the Universe more, and the way that the Universe works in my life. I have learned that if I am pushing against a wall that isn’t ready to move, I only hurt and frustrate myself. When the wall is ready to be moved, it’s almost like magic how quickly the wall just disappears, like it was never there before. When it is time for me to walk through, and past a problem, it’s almost like the wall was never there. I hope to stop myself from knocking my head against walls in the new year and into the future to come.

I’ve also been telling my body lately, “I’m listening to you.” I’m taking care of you. You need rest? You’ve got it. You need to stretch and loosen up? We can do that, and you’re right, it feels amazing. Going along with the 2023 “Year of Healing” idea, I plan to start offering up the same courtesies of listening more to my mind and to my spirit, and really heeding the needs of all three entities which make up the whole of me.

I am wishing for peace and for pause for all of us during this holiday season. Thank you for being daily witnesses to me and to my writing. I love you. I appreciate you and our feeling of understanding and connection. Merry Christmas. All is well. Believe it. The walls will dissipate at just the right time and the path will be clear and bright.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Healthy Pause

I am in a phew, exhale, big sigh, totally deflate like a balloon, and rest like a puddle on the ground, mindset today. So many “biggies” that we had been anticipating: our eldest son’s big move to a new state, the completion of our renovations, our youngest son’s high school graduation and the celebrations that followed, the safe extraction of his monster-sized wisdom teeth, etc. etc. are mainly finished and completed quite satisfactorily. It’s like my extra-big, neon signed and shined, mambo to-do list has been checked off and completed. Phew. Sigh. Deflate. Rest. . . . . and reflect. It all went well. It’s all over. I am going to rest a little bit before starting a new big load list. Big load lists always happen, especially in big load families. I try my best to stay in the present moment when I am in the midst of the planning, experiencing and executing the big load lists, but there is always that little part of me that repeats, “This will feel so good when it’s over. I can’t wait until the end of all of this.” I know that we are not supposed to anticipate the future. I know that we are not supposed to wish our lives away, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. And guess what? It does feel good to be at a completion point, right now. It does feel good to press “Pause” before loading up the play list and hitting “Play” again. I’m not ready to press “Stop” any time soon and I honestly wouldn’t want to hit “Reverse”, as good as a lot of my life has been, but healthy pauses, well, healthy pauses feel really good sometimes. Phew. Sigh. Deflate. Rest. Reflect.

“Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in.” – Sebastian Vettel

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein