Earlier this summer I was looking for a possible getaway. Yet, I was not seeking a typical fun-in-the-sun event nor a grand adventure.

A persistent longing for quiet and solitude had been ‘calling’ me for a few months in a very visceral way, so I looked for an opportunity to pause,  to somehow find a bit more space in my daily life.

I’ve written previously that pausing is part of a larger cycle of work and renewal, the ebb and flow of life.

That pausing interrupts our automatic reactions to life and allows our minds and bodies to take a break, to re-set, and to be with life as it is.

That pausing isn’t simply a good idea but is an essential, required nutrient not unlike air or water, much more like a good nap.

However, knowing about pausing isn’t pausing.

In the six day retreat, entitled Cultivating Wisdom, we practiced pausing—every day, in long sessions and short sessions, during meals, outside on breaks.

By practicing and practicing and more practicing,  I experienced dropping down into a greater depth of space, of mindfulness and deep nourishment, an awareness of being ok with myself and life as it is now.

Ahhh.

I’m not sure I’m wiser, but I ldid learn, again, that incredible amounts of space exist in each moment.

Crazy, right? Yet, oh so true.

As autumn approaches you’ll find me simply practicing pause. What about you?