I am one of those people who is always on the go go go. I literally have a list of fifteen things I try to get done everyday. I do so many things simultaneously, too. I feed the baby while I read my book or do some craft with my son. I watch TV while I do my art journal. (I am watching it right now as I write this.) I am very accomplishment-oriented. Or at least execution-oriented. I am a big doer. Relaxing is not my thing.
There’s this time at the end of most Yoga classes where you lie down and you have to lie there, be present and not think, not sleep, just be aware. I always hated that part. My mind would go on overdrive and think of the fifty thousand items to put on my todo list. Or things I was supposed to have done that day. Or how I forgot to call. On and on. Let’s just say I never actually relaxed.
But over the years, this is something that I’ve grown to value more and more. I’ve taken enough classes to value the importance of resting and recovering, especially after a time of hard work. And I’m also trying to learn to take the time to pause and observe. To just do nothing and be more aware and be more mindful. I think this is really important.
It helps me assess my emotions and control my reaction to things happening around me. Even when I can’t stop myself from making the same mistake, making it with awareness is actually helpful. Pausing allows me to pay attention. It allows me to step back. It also allows me to be more grateful. To observe the million little things that happen in my day that I would otherwise not notice or gloss over.
So now, I am trying to pause more. Observe my kids playing when they don’t know I am looking. Pause while creating a piece of art. Listen to my husband while he talks instead of planning my response or tuning out. Pause while I feel sad or uninspired or frustrated. Pause so I can give the feelings a lot of attention and then let them go, so I can exchange those feelings with gratitude for what’s here. For who’s here.
It’s hard for me to pause, but I think it’s very valuable and I am working hard to take the time more and more. Even if it’s in millisecond increments. I hope you take a few seconds to pause today, too. Go out for five minutes and just observe nature. Be grateful for the very ordinary things today. Pause to notice them.
They are the miracles of life.
The following is cross-posted from the Weekly Gratitude Blog. I will post there every Tuesday and decided to post those posts here, too. For those of you who read both blogs, I apologize in advance. Some weeks the content might be different and other weeks, exactly the same.
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