I Am Pausing........

This was a bit of an accident....the book that is.  I have been in reading mode lately.  I switch interest like I switch underwear and this month I have been reading like I was on  the road to earning my masters. So, while I was in the library with Sara I was perusing the self help book section.  No particular reason why I was in the middle of all these books but what I realized was you could help yourself do just about anything from loose weight to be rich in 60 days.  It is a bombardment of titles that convinces you that there is no way your life could possibly be satisfactory if you must read that much to get back on track. I chose "pausing"...why?....because I rarely do.  What I discovered was that it was an excellent choice.  

I have always been a bit OCD. I am a list maker.  I love to write things down in the morning and the sense of accomplishment I feel at the end of the day is incredible if I have managed to cross everything off my list...but, I am beating myself up. I am a senior citizen that finds pleasure in completing tasks.  So do I really want my identity to be linked to my productivity level?  NOPE!!!  Now I am "pausing".  And I think after just a few weeks in this mode that maybe finding that book opened a gold mine of contentment.  I can pass on making a list and life moves forward.  Things don't get done and we are okay.  So maybe there is some extra laundry piled up and there are dishes in the sink but they will be there tomorrow....tonight I am "pausing".

I actually took a few days off and left the family to take a short trip with girlfriends to relax....

and what did we do for three days?  We "paused".

It was therapy.  There were no schedules, no guidelines for completion of projects, no rules for bedtime or mealtime.

We sewed, if we wanted to.  

We read books, if we wanted to.

We sat outside, if we wanted to.

We talked to each other, if we wanted to.

It was a mini sewing retreat and to be honest it is hard for me to sit nested in the middle of yards of fabric and not not be in a state of total calm.  Cotton is like a big tranquilizer in my life. Simply arranging colors gives me the same pleasure that some get from a 90 minute massage.

We talked thread, patterns, ironing boards, and cutting tools.  

It is not often you can sit with a group of women that can relate and enjoy conversation on that level.

Loved being with these friends.  It was  relaxing and renewing and just fun.  

So glad I took some time to "pause"!

(disclaimer...forgot to set the focus on my camera...yes, you are seeing blurry!)
Love you, dear friends.  Thanks for the opportunity to "pause!