Pause For a Moment

Sometimes as I’m going about my day, I stop, and I pause for a moment. If I’m laying in bed at night and my mind has been racing with thoughts and things from my day - sometimes, I try to just clear my head and focus.

I have paused those rushing thoughts from the day, and just listened to the rain coming down outside of my window; enjoying the sound as I lay snug in my bed.

I can look around my room, and feel comforted by the familiar. By the “loved” things that surround me.  I can smile softly at the Christian music quietly playing from the radio, on my bedside table.

I love those moments.

How often do we pause long enough to just take in a moment?  So often we are busy with our thoughts, to-do’s, prayer requests, regrets, replays of conversations in our head….we just overlook the sights, smells, and sounds of what is happening all around us.

We can be so good at soaking in the larger-than-life moments. Yet, we aren’t as good, at taking in the smaller, more meaningful ones.

Wherever you are right now, stop.  Listen to the sounds around you.  Is it the hum of your dishwasher or washing machine? Is it the sound of giggles and laughter, coming from your children in the other room?  

Listen for the things that are so easily overlooked.  That bird cheerfully chirping in your backyard.  The hum of the neighbor’s lawnmower. The sound of sprinklers.

Now look. LOOK. Reflect. Look at that picture that hangs on your wall. Look at the plants, candles, and the view out of your window. What mood and feeling washes over you?

What do you smell? Is it an aroma from the last meal cooked in your kitchen?  Your husband’s cologne wafting in the room?  Do you smell a yummy candle given to you from a friend, or relative? When was the last time you really closed your eyes and took in those smells?

What do you feel? Do you feel boosted from the sunshine coming in your window? Do you feel warm and cozy, or are you experiencing a heart in turmoil? 

Take it in – embrace it for a moment. Let it envelop you.

We can get into such a rut of overlooking beauty that exists right where we are.  We forget that softly playing music in a moonlit bedroom, is beautiful. We can forget to soak in the beauty of our kitchen, that gifts so many that we love, with nourishment. 

We can get so busy planning our days, or reliving them. 

We forget to be still and just soak the moment in.

Let the familiar be enjoyable, not overlooked.  

Learn to to stop once in awhile and just pause. Feel. Smell. Hear.

These moments are a gift to our soul.