a quiet hello

Posted by | January 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment

The Pause–
it’s on the corner of Now and Notice,
where that old dive, Reaction,
used to be.

Happy hour every day!
Come in any attire,
all moods welcome.

Also? Hottest bartender ever
—ahem!—
Presence is his name.

Be sure to try their signature drink
Patience, I think it’s called—
not sure of the secret ingredient,
but from what I can tell
it’s got some muddled Time,
macerated in oak barrel-aged Joy.
Seriously? Best drink ever.
(And don’t worry about getting drunk
on it, even the hangover is great!)

The Pause, meet me there?

~ * ~

The hoopla and flash of December have passed… the days are short, the nights are long, and the trees are bare.

Ahh, January, hello there. And hello you, curious reader. How are you and 2012 getting on?

I remember a phone conversation with my youngest brother around this time several years ago… Summer girl that I am, I was probably complaining about
winter. Danny, on the other hand, loves winter and I just had to know why.

“The trees are bare,” he said, “and I can see so much more when the trees are bare.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

Danny is right. Bare-branch days give us wide angle lenses, perfect for seeing the bigger picture.

When I take a moment to pause and get a sense of 2012 and what it might want for me, I feel it a-buzz with energy. It’s not the hyper and static-y buzz of television, but a kind of glowing warm hum…

I listen more… Yes, 2012 wants me to fall in love with life. Oh wait, it’s got more… it says you can’t love things you don’t notice, and that you are much more likely to notice things when you pause.

Ahh, to pause. It’s the easiest and the hardest thing to do. And it’s my aspiration for 2012.

And you? Have you checked in with 2012 to find out what it might want for you? Give it a try. Often we think we need to make things happen… making things happen is tiring and usually involves a lot of things we think we should do but in our heart of hearts aren’t fully on board about.

What happens when you get quiet for a moment, look through the bare trees, and ask your life what it wants for you?

If it’d help you to write it out loud and tell us what it says, you can add a comment below, or drop me a line. I’m here, and I’d love to hear.

Also? My office is open and my massage table warmer is on. Mmmm… Here are my hours this week:

Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

(And yes, there are openings!)

Listening and curious about what’s in store, and looking forward to seeing you soon…

Heidi

Categories: Noticing, Self-care | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment

Pause Tag. Want to play?

Posted by | July 3, 2011 | 3 Comments

There’s a game of Pause Tag going on!

Pause Tag requires no special equipment. No special clothes. You can pause in your jammies, in your favorite T-shirt, in your stripey socks, or barefoot. You can Pause in your birthday suit or decked out in your fancypants. You can pause in any size or color…

You can pause on a lake or while you bake, in your head or on your bed, in a chair or on a dare… You can pause most anywhere!

You can pause alone or you can pause in company.

You can pause in any mood. Sultry or mean, baffled or green… Happy or sad, lonely or mad. No matter how you’re feeling, you can pause.

You can pause for short, medium or long. You can pause for itty bitty, so-so, or mega.

Best of all, when you’ve been tagged to be It, it doesn’t matter if you’re fast or slow: unlike other games of tag, Pause Tag does not require speed. But if you happen to be speedy that’s great too!

When you’ve been Pause-tagged, you’ll know. You can pretend not to know and keep running and hiding, but it won’t feel good. Matter o’ fact, when you first start playing Pause Tag, not feeling good might be how you first know you’re It. You might feel dizzy and tired… maybe you’ll feel overwhelmed and icky in your tummy… your running might feel wobbly, like you have spaghetti legs… Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of being It and as you get more practice at playing Pause Tag, you won’t have to wait to not feel great before you know it’s time to pause. You’ll see. I promise.

Pause Tag can be played with any number of people: 1 – 6.93 billion. Also, there is no limit to how many people can be It at once. Pause Tag is magical: there will always be a balance between movement and rest.

Pause Tag is the best game ever. Want to play?

Categories: Self-care | Tagged: | 3 Comments

Periods and commas and questions, oh my! What’s punctuating the page of you today?

Posted by | June 6, 2011 | 11 Comments

I woke up with a big question mark inside… I wish I could say it was a wondering question mark, curious curly and cute… but no. This question mark was bold and lonesome, Arial Black-stark and in my face.

Actually, it wasn’t until I paused and turned toward what was there that I even noticed that it was a question mark. Before that? Queasy uneasy vague discomfort.

Even when what we find upon pausing is not entirely (or at all!) pleasant, there is something relieving about noticing.

Our first response, often, is to turn away from discomfort. We hope it’ll just go away. Maybe we are scared of what it’ll mean. Maybe we think we don’t have time. But ironically, ignoring what is there actually tends to do the opposite of what we want. And when it sees that we have no intention of noticing, discomfort can amp up its volume and pull out all the stops to make us notice.

Sometimes discomfort changes clothes and appears in a different outfit – it’s not uncommon for something like queasy in the tummy to become a kink in the neck or a pain in the ass!

Pausing and turning toward what is going on allows it to change in the way that’s best. Being with something now allows what’s next to unfold.

What if everything hard and uncomfortable in you were simply wanting you to notice? What if instead of turning a blind eye or pushing the hard thing under the rug you turned the gaze of your most loving presence toward it and listened as if to your dearest friend or your most beloved niece in all the world?

What mark is punctuating the page of you today?

Maybe it’s a question mark like mine. Or maybe it’s a period. There are different kinds of periods. Some simply mark space between thoughts. Some are followed by hard returns. Some mark ends of chapters or even books.

Maybe you’ve got yourself a comma in a flowing list of lovely things…

Maybe it’s a playful dash—! Or an unexpected one that interrupts you mid—

Maybe you’ve got yourself some elipses… soft and unhurried like lemonade on a porch swing… Or maybe your elipses are filled with suspense… whatever could come next?!

What’s punctuating the page of you today? I’d love to hear.

Categories: Getting curious, Mood detective | Tagged: , | 11 Comments

The Pause: Not what I asked for

Posted by | April 3, 2011 | 1 Comment

I went to The Pause again today. I needed something, though I wasn’t sure what. Before retreating to a table, I stopped to order a shot of patience. Presence was tending bar, as usual.

“I’ll be at that table,” I told him, pointing to a secluded spot in the corner. He nodded.

A few minutes later a curvy, twinkle-eyed server set before me a bowl of soup.

“Oh, uh… I think there’s been a mistake. I ordered patience.”

“No mistake,” she smiled, “compliments of the chef.” I opened my mouth in protest, but she’d already turned. I watched her figure disappear into the kitchen.

I stared at my soup, and then, with a sigh, unfolded my napkin. A scrolled, ribbon-tied paper fell onto my lap.

“Try a little tenderness. On the house.”

Signed,

Kindness
Head Chef, The Pause

Categories: Self-care | Tagged: | 1 Comment

Meet me at The Pause?

Posted by | February 14, 2011 | 9 Comments

The Pause, my favorite new spot. It’s on the corner of Now and Notice, where that old dive, Reaction, used to be. Happy hour every day. Come in any attire, including tears. All moods are welcome.

Hottest bartender, his name is Presence. Ask him for their signature drink, Patience. Not sure what their secret ingredient is, but from what I can figure it’s got some muddled Time, macerated in oak barrel-aged Joy. Seriously, best drink ever. Get drunk on it. Even the hangover is great.

Categories: Heidi's Musings | Tagged: , | 9 Comments