“Learn to pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” – Doug King, poet

Today is the first day of the 21-Day Reverence Challenge that I’d mentioned in an earlier post (link here). I loved it and wanted to pass along:

“Drop Into The Present Moment: Busyness is an epidemic in today’s world. Our calendars have no breathing space, and hurtling from one task to the next, neither do we. Today, take time to ground yourself in the present moment. Before you walk out your front door, or while waiting in line, or when stopped at a traffic light, or after reading an email, simply pause and take a long, deep breath. As you inhale and exhale, observe the momentum of your mind and body. Give yourself permission to decelerate. Bring your attention to this very moment. Temporarily abandon everything on your to-do-list and simply honor the brand new moment that is unfolding right in front of you.”

These photos reflect a couple of observations I’ve made recently while taking pause, including….clouds that seem to be dancing around the trees…a proud little flower growing through the bricks….and the most vibrant, magnificent azaleas I’ve ever seen.

Another recent pause brought about a startling realization for me.

This was the sunset over the tennis courts after my youngest son’s last home tennis match of his college career. I paused and took this photo as I walked back to my car. I stood there long after I took the photo, taking it all in. Then it hit me: the sun isn’t just setting over the courts; it’s setting on tennis for my family. Once my son’s season wraps up, this will be the first time since the late 70s that no one in my family will be competing on a school tennis team of any sort. No high school players, no college players. No siblings, no sons, no nephews. That’s it. I must admit that the thought made me a little teary. There’s been so much change this year. Big, foundational changes, right down to the core of my family and my upbringing. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely different.

In light of this reverence challenge prompt, I’ll continue to pause, breathe, reflect, and welcome each new moment.