Ahhhh...PAUSITIVITY...

"If, then, I were asked for the most important
     advice I could give, I should simply say:
                            in the name of God,
                             stop for a moment, 
                               cease your work,
                               look around you." 
                                                       - Leo Tolstoy

Sometime during this week I just stopped breathing. I was going so fast
I felt a little dizzy. The wonderful, busy and vicious cycle looked something like this...

Teaching, teaching (which I love), 
Grading, grading (which I don't love)
Meetings, meetings...
just a little sleep
Rush, rush...
teaching, grading, oh remember to pray,
did I have lunch? (I can't remember)
"Hi, Bert! Love you!"
laundry, cleaning
and the cycle would begin all over again.

It's almost the end of the quarter, but that is no excuse.

Will I ever learn that being productive and getting three thousand things done does not bring happiness or peace of mind?

I would remember from time-to-time, while driving to and fro, the quote  from Ann Voskamp that says
                          "hurry and more hurry empties the soul."
                          Well, my soul has been running on empty.

Didn't I just write a blog post a little while ago on this very topic?
Is it possible that I still have not learned this lesson? (bangs head ever so gently on table) :)

While I loved 95% of what was going on, some of it is simply a blur.
Yuk!

And then, while in my home office last night, I saw "it."

A small, unassuming book I purchased while Bert and I were in Hawaii in
December. Seeing the cover peeking out at me brought back the moment I saw the small, easy to hold in your hand book. It was so inviting with the beautiful Japanese drawing. Pussy willows.

The title of the book said it all...
                                              PAUSITIVITY
                      take a moment to nurture yourself

No, that's not a spelling error. This small and elegant life-giving reminder
is not spelled with the usual  POSITIVITY, as in having an uplifted attitude.
While the words are pronounced the same, this is about pausing to take care of you.

                              PAUSITIVITY is a noun. 

It means the feeling of JOY and OPTIMISM that comes when you stop to take a moment to restore and nurture yourself. 

So today is Saturday. Praise God! I have no papers to grade. Bert and I
went out for coffee and he is working in the yard as I type this. The sun is out
in Spokane. It is supposed to be about 55 degrees. This afternoon we will go to a Granddaughter's swim meet.

I can start to feel the tension leave my shoulders as I write these words.

As one of the quotes in this sweet book says,
                   "Leave room in every day for calm and joy to grow."

And as I take a deep breath, and thank God for another day, I am slowing down, pausing, smiling and expecting to see calm and joy right around
the corner. May you too be blessed with moments where you stop a moment, cease work, and just look around you!

God Bless!
Love,
Linda