Pause Points

Pause Points...

I go for walks, almost daily. The route is mostly the same.

Over the past few weeks, something changed - the Seagull's I always passed had welcomed two new babies into the world.

The babies were adorable. Cute, fluffy, with grey feathers. They looked nothing like the white feathers that are traditionally associated with seagulls (think Scuttles from the Little Mermaid... yes I went there ).

Because they were so adorable & such a contrast to the appearance of their parents I took notice of them. I began to slow down, and pause during my walks to observe them.

One day their feathers seemed a little more fluffy.

On another I would swear their wings how grown by an inch.

During one walk I noticed them hopping around - venturing away from their nest.

On another I listened to their excited calls as they waited for their parents to bring back dinner.

They were growing up fast.

As time went & I carried on with my almost daily walks, I began to look forward to seeing them. I'd wonder aloud about what they would be up to today.

Each time I came upon them, I paused. I invested a few moments to enjoy the experience of watching them live their life.

The pause was not always an easy choice to make. There were plenty of other things/people that were demanding my time. Was it silly for me to be pausing and paying attention to baby seagulls when there was so much other stuff that needed to get done?

Yesterday I went for my walk. I began wondering aloud about what the babies would be up to. Upon arriving at the same spot, I paused - this time they were no where to be found. They were gone.

The babies had grown up. Time had passed by faster than anticipated. My simple daily pleasure had left the nest and ventured out into the world to make their own way.

For a moment there was a little sadness - selfishly I was sad that I was no longer able to spend time with them the way I had been spending the time.

That sadness was quickly replaced with gratitude - gratitude that I had prioritized pausing. Gratitude that because of the almost daily choices I had made, I had enriched my life tremendously just by simply taking the time to pause & observe life from a different perspective.

Let me ask you a question:

As you are reading this, are you surprised by how fast time has passed?

I know I certainly am.

There will always be more to do's to fill your calendar with.

There will always be more stuff & people demanding your time.

There will not always be more time...

The power of the pause is it gives us a moment to consider. Some of the things I recommend considering during any pause:

Am I experiencing this moment as fully as I would like? If no, what do I need to change?

Am I fulfilled by the work I do? How can I make the work I do more fulfilling?

Do I allow myself to feel as happy as I would like? What can I do to bring more happiness into my life?

If I were to die at the end of the week, would I be happy with how I have been spending my time lately? If no, what changes must I make?

Much of our day to day is autopilot - it's repetition learned from all the days we have lived thus far. A pause helps us shift out of that. It brings us to the present moment. It's in the present moment where we have an opportunity to carefully consider what we want our future moments to look like.

Time goes fast. Life goes by even faster. Take time to pause today my friend. I promise you that it will enrich your day tremendously .