The first few months are typically a somewhat “slow” time for me. The busy holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) is past, and earlier nightfalls and cold temperatures bring quiet evenings spent relaxing and preparing for the busy-ness of Spring and Summer.

The opening third of 2023 was definitely not a time of rest and rejuvenation! An extended dog-sitting engagement and several bouts of full-time grandchild/children-sitting — all of which I thoroughly enjoyed — as well as a few other unexpected situations have made the last 15 weeks extremely busy.

As a result, I took a break this past weekend. I strolled through juntique stores in my hometown’s riverfront downtown, watched a high school baseball game in the park, took two leisurely drives in the country, and puttered around my apartmentette. I attended Sunday School and church, planted flowers with two of my granddaughters, and visited with a 90+-year-old dear friend.

I took a break from my to-do list, from rushing from one task to another.

I paused.

And I realized that I need to pause more often. Perhaps you, too, feel a need to pause. Join me this week on social media (Patti Miinch on facebook and instagram) as we discuss the importance of building pause into our lives as well as how we can do that.