If you live in the South or on the West Coast, move along
people, there is nothing to see here! You may not get it. However, if you live
in the Midwest, I hope you'll pause for a few moments.
In the Midwest, there is a frenetic energy that begins in
the first week of August for many people (especially parents and kids of all ages). All you hear in conversations:
ü
I have to go to bed earlier so I can reset my
body clock for getting up early.
ü
The kids are going back to school in two weeks.
ü
Tomorrow we have high school orientation for
Megan.
ü
I need to make doctors appointments for all the
kid’s shots.
ü
I’m going shopping for my son who needs a new
comforter for his dorm.
It’s August, but summer is over for them. They start to look
tired before school even starts because they are mentally expending a lot of
energy thinking about all the necessary details about the ‘impending future.’
At the end of my yoga classes, I have my student enjoy 10-15 minutes in final relaxation before the class of over. (It's really why I do yoga!) It's a time where they let go and allow the sympathetic nervous system to dial down into the parasympathetic nervous system. When final relaxation is over, I transition my students out of the peaceful state of 'awake awareness.' I
have them slowly turn on their sides and bring their knees towards the chest and PAUSE for a few more mindful moments. Ahhh, the gift of the Pause!!
I’ve never realized how important the pause was until I started
doing yoga myself. If I had learned to pause more when I was a young mom, I might have
enjoyed the present moment a little longer, instead of racing to the future
before it arrived.
I first learned about The Pause from Ken Gire. His book, Windows
of The Soul, he tapped into something unspoken but very real in me. He wrote about how
he took time to notice things, feel things, hear things, and how he desired to
experience all that God had for him. A voice inside me said, ‘me too!’ If we
are distracted, we will never experience The Pause. We may miss the subtle
glint in someone’s eye when they are about to share the BEST NEWS EVER! Or we
may miss ‘the sacredness of another human being.’ He writes in a Prayer for
Solitude, “Deliver me from distractions,
which are many. Teach me to pause at more windows. I know I won’t see
everything, but help me to see something. So much passes me by without
attention, let alone, appreciation; without reflection, let alone, reverence;
without thought, let alone, thankfulness.”
The benefits for pausing are numerous. I’m sure you can name
many. Here are a few of mine:
Benefits of pausing:
Tap into soul-yearnings (or whispers)
The mind dials down (the volume of our thought-life isn’t so
loud)
Your nervous system has a chance to recover (from the fast
pace of life)
Time to process feelings (Let go of feelings or things that
no longer serve you; take time to cry, laugh, pray)
Experience creativity (in yourself or others)
Be present for others
Notice what matters (your self, kids, friends, nature, etc.)
I’m just as busy as some of you: I’m at my computer more
these days then I like. I have to be intentional about pausing for that minute
to feel the warmth of sun on my arms while walking into the post office. I have
to get up with Jesus and the birds to go workout so I can enjoy breakfast with
my husband (and Fred, of course).
For this Midwest girl, I know what it’s like to have Chicago
winter looming in the not too distant future. I shiver to think about being cooped
up all winter (again). The older I get, I’m learning how to pause more and not
jump ahead to Labor Day and declare summer is over. Hell no! It’s not over
people until the sun is observed directly above the equator! Then and only
then, will I say, summer is over. Until then, you’ll catch me taking bike
rides, moon walks, watching bees hover around my Rose of Sharon bush, laying in
the hammock with my dog, making lunch dates with a friend, catching a sunset at
the local lake, eating yummy fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden like they are candy,
listening to the sound of dogs barking, cicadas in the trees, and children
playing and squealing with joyful delight. There is nothing like the smell of a fresh cut lawn or someone bbq-ing. And I know it's humid here in the Midwest in August I don’t’ care! It's not -3 degrees. I'll take hot and humid any August day. All I need is a hat, a soccer-mom
chair, and sunglasses. I go find a tree,
some water and then enjoy a nice cold beverage. Life is good!! I'm not ready to turn in my flip flops yet! August is when I pause and take in the last experiences of summer before it's over.
All these present moments are brought to you by The Pause!
