Taking a sabbatical from my public ministry has made me consider the value of pausing as a spiritual practice. Pausing will bring...
- restoration
- refreshment
- re-creation
- an awareness of what I really value in life
- a bowl to catch some of my dreams
- attentiveness
- a delight in the process
- a way of being
- more time for play
- more room for newness
- contemplation
- joy
- beauty
- freedom
- silence
Feel free to add to the list. Happy pausing!
When pausing I search for:
ReplyDelete1. authenticity- being real rather than false
2. vivacity- the joy of living in the present and
being fascinated
3. playfulness- remembering to laugh, giggle and
play
"Surely joy is the condition of life." Thoreau
Ah, I love that word authenticity. I hate how it has taken me this long in my life to learn to discern between my real self and the self I think I aught to be. I had not connected pausing with authenticity, but I have a feeling that it is at the core of what I am seeking. To live authentically would mean that I have finally found home.
ReplyDeleteAlso wanting to comment on the quote from Thoreau. It is why I so love Thoreau and the Transendentalists. This idea that joy is our natural state/our natural way of being in this world makes me think that children have the key to the universe. They have the joy that we adults are always trying to return to. Our authentic selves are truly joyful selves. Or, when we are really authentic, our home is with joy.
Thanks for adding to the list.