Another Reminder to Pause

Notice what brings you joy – especially when things feel particularly chaotic

It’s the second week of school around here, and even without being personally bound to the public school calendar, I can feel it in the air. It helps that mornings have suddenly become crisp, really topping off the back-to-school fall vibes. 

Everyone is a little bit more tense, seems a little bit more tired. Conversations often get pulled around to new routines, big transitions, sleepless nights. 

As a former elementary school teacher, I love the back-to-school season. But there is no question that it is objectively exhausting! There is so much anticipation and excitement that we all crash at the end of the day and week without notice. It’s overwhelming—mainly in a full, wonderful sort of way, but overwhelming nonetheless. 

Can you feel it? The collective overwhelm of this season? 

But there is so much joy, too! 

September might be my favorite season, with its chilly mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. There are still opportunities for summer-like activities, but without the pressure to maximize that summer often holds. The early mornings and late evenings are crisp enough for a sweater or a blanket and invite the coziness of a warm mug. 

And all of that brings me joy. 

In overwhelming seasons like this, I can easily get frustrated with the daily grind. When I feel that frustration start to swirl or physically notice that my shoulders are shrugged all the way up to my earlobes, it helps my body and mind to pause and consider what is bringing me joy—to intentionally notice and say it out loud or write it down.

On our morning walk today, we rounded the bend toward the park, and I commented on how unexpectedly lovely the morning was. My husband looked at me and said (in a frighteningly accurate imitation of my voice), “I can’t believe we get to live here!,” poking fun at the frequency with which I have uttered that delight – in the very same spot. 

my phone tells me that I have 527 pictures from this exact spot – likely capturing a slightly different version of this view. “I can’t believe we get to live here!”

You know how once you notice something, you’re more likely to continue seeing it? I’ve been intentionally using this phenomenon in an effort to pay more attention to the small moments of joy and abundance in my life. And guess what? It’s working. ✨

Since starting my journal of delights last year, I have been intermittently capturing moments of joy throughout my days. When I pause to take stock, the joyful delights tend to multiply, overlap, and build on one another. Much in the way of “If you give a mouse a cookie.”

Today, I have been delighted by: 

• Waking up well-rested

• A full morning workout before the baby woke

• Cuddling to read books in the soft early morning light

• Flexibility to go for a family morning walk

• Moving my body outside, feeling the air and sun on my skin

• Pink clouds, baby blue sky, and the beginning of sunshine

• The baby’s cheerful pointing to and talking with birds, “caw, caw, caw!”

• Looking toward the Olympics across the Sound – I can’t believe we get to live here!

• A quiet, still house as soon as David leaves with the baby for school

• Breakfast with a sweet, tart nectarine

• Warm, bitter coffee from a mug

• Writing 

It’s been a busy week in a busy month and it’s easy for me to get wrapped up in the chaos and forget to pause. To instead focus on all the hard or stressful things. I lose sight of the joy surrounding me. 

Today, I needed a reminder to pause and notice: what’s bringing me joy right now? Though unintentional, my husband’s poking fun joke was exactly the reminder I needed. 

Maybe you needed a reminder, too? What’s bringing you joy right now?

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Hi, I’m Liz! Thanks for being here and reading my journals on the journey. If you’re new, learn a bit more about me and this space here and here and consider subscribing to my weeklyish posts.

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