The Sacred Art of Pausing—Because Fear Has Stolen Enough Time

A journey from automatic busyness to courage-filled pauses.

Painting by Pierre Bonnard called “La sortie de la baignoire."

Every pause feels richer when it’s shared. If these words speak to you, please like, comment, or restack so others can join in the conversation.

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Getting older has lit a fire under me. It may sound morbid, but I often wonder: how many years do I have left to do the things I want to do? Will my body hold out? Will my husband’s?

Things could change in an instant. I’ve seen it happen to others too many times to count. The best-laid plans, and then…poof.

Maybe that's why I want this time of life to feel deeply productive and fulfilling. I remember rushing through bedtime stories, my mind already on tomorrow's tasks, missing the magic in my children's sleepy questions. I realized I'd been making decisions from a place of fear disguised as productivity - fear of not being enough, not doing enough

But what if I chose differently? What if courage, not fear, guided my next chapter?

For decades, this fear-driven busyness defined me. But that was my old life. I've been waiting for something different - a slower, more mindful pace guided by courage instead of anxiety.

As I packed for this trip to Greece, the to-do list felt endless—not just for myself, but for the eight women traveling with me. This isn’t a small getaway. It’s part work, part pleasure.

And now, here I am.

Gone for a while are the daily routines and familiar spaces of home. My evening sacred baths are on hold until I return. (The above photo was taken at the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, which made me just a little bit homesick.) Everything around me is different. I am out of my comfort zone, surrounded by the beauty and history of an ancient land. And in this pause—this deliberate stepping away—I have space to listen.

As you read this, I am guiding women through this very act of intentional pause and watching them discover that when we step outside our familiar walls, the world opens its arms. We are setting down the weight of 'shoulds' and opening not just to what life might whisper, but to the beautiful truth that we belong everywhere we choose to plant our brave hearts.

How are you making space to pause in your own life? Comment below! I’d love to hear.

A rare sight of a woman at rest.