Why It’s Good for You to Pause

Do you sometimes turn your gaze upward and suddenly feel there’s so much more to life than your present worries? Have you ever stopped to study the clouds or the stars and found fresh new insight? 

In appreciation of how important this kind of pausing can be, you’ll hear an original poem, Balance, written by Lia Girard. It tells a short story about a captivating sight high above.

Today’s episode invites you to: 

- look up to expand your outlook physically and mentally

- appreciate your own unique blend of talents and characteristics

- allow yourself the kind of pausing that brings you peace

You’ll also be given a phrase, inspired by the poem, to ponder as your week unfolds. 

Lia Girard is a poet, writer, author, wife, and mom whose feature articles are found on iBelieve.com, Crosswalk.com, and other inspirational platforms. 

You can explore her poetry, often inspired by the wonders of nature, on Instagram: @wildpeace.poetry. 

If you love the show, or any episode resonates with you, please rate or review the show on your favorite platform, or email your feedback to lia@wildpeacepoetry.com.

Transcript

Speaker 0:02

Hello and welcome to Heart of a Wildflower. This is a space that invites you to slow down, reconnect, and find beauty in every season. I'm Lia Girard, your host, and I'm so glad you're here. In each episode, we'll consider an aspect of love, longing, or life, such as heartache, healing, or hope, by reading and exploring a poem together. We'll end with a thoughtful word or phrase to contemplate as your week unfolds. Today, I'd love for you to visualize with me how life can feel new and different when you pause to physically look up at the sky. Do you remember a time when you searched the clouds or stars or treetops and just felt a fresh perspective? Of course, in today's demanding world, there's plenty of prompting to stay upbeat or keep looking for the positive or chin up, but I'm not talking about forcing an attitude change here. I just want to appreciate with you how effortlessly nature can elevate your mental state when you simply tilt your gaze upward. For me, it feels like an expansion, not just of my neck and my eyelids, but my outlook. I'm quickly reminded by whatever's happening above me that there's so much more to life than my forward focus. No matter what mood the sky is casting, it always seems to be sharing wisdom and inspiring wonder. Our small poem for today wrote itself as I stepped out at 7 a.m. into the parking lot of our condo community. We live in a city-university neighborhood with a fusion of foliage, parks, traffic, overhead wires, restaurants, shops, and busyness. Quiet is rare and activity is fairly constant. So as I headed out on my morning walk toward the bridge over the highway in search of nature at a nearby lake, I looked up and I saw a lone dove resting high in a crisscross web of power lines. Her stillness and solitude captivated me. And meanwhile, the bakery across the street was rattling open and cars were whizzing and honking, and yet the dove sat unruffled by the electricity running through her toes, her wings folded down, pausing her flight for a reason unknown to me. While she waited alone, clouds pulled past and the sky folded softly around her silhouette. I wanted to absorb her serenity, and as I did, the air whispered this poem to me, titled Balance. Balance. "Rest for a moment, or as long as you need," spoke the early sky, while the truck engines growled and cars pressed a relentless hiss, "so you can study the cadence of clouds and remember your wings." Have you ever been in a workplace or a neighborhood or on a team or just in a time in your life where pausing seemed to be frowned upon, where productivity and progress are these perpetual buzzwords, and it sort of causes this persistent anxiety in your head or your heart. Even though I've recently downshifted on purpose away from full time to fulfilling part-time work, and I'm making room to pursue my passions, I still battle this pervasive pressure to perform, even in sneaky ways. Like thinking I'm not writing if the keys aren't clacking. When in actuality, much of writing takes place in silence. Ideas often come to life in quiet pauses. I believe creation nudged my gaze skyward that morning. It held me with intention in a cushion of curiosity so that I would pause, even if only to gather my thoughts about this bird, or maybe to gather the tattered shreds of my nervous system and slow my roll. Do you know in the depth of your being that you are allowed, even encouraged by the universe that you rely on, to recenter yourself and find your place in this complex world? Let's admit that even wings fold flat, knees buckle to lay down, arms and legs are made to sometimes dangle and stretch, and your entire being relies on sleep. Sometimes, as life pushes you forward, maybe you can be like this morning dove, still and flightless, stopping because you simply want or need to. Even if you have to do it all alone, for as long as you need to. And perhaps this pausing can help you gather new strength, or discern your direction, or just remember and reflect on how you're made, regardless of what's going on all around you. This is why the seventh line of this poem asks you to study the cadence of clouds. Because when you open yourself to the unforced pace of nature, you might be able to gather your senses and find the kind of peace you've been searching for. As we close, I'd like to leave you with a phrase from the poem to ponder. And that phrase is, remember your wings. This is an invitation to self-compassion. Remembering your wings is the habit of noticing that you were given a very intricate composition of characteristics, gifts, and talents, and that you're capable of dreams that you desire. And that you don't ever have to monetize or perfect the amazing aspects of you that are intrinsic to your design. Just pause sometimes to relax and enjoy them. Thank you for spending this time with me today. I hope it offered you room to reflect and reconnect with yourself. If this episode spoke to you, please share it with a friend or drop me an email at lia@wildpeacepoetry.com. That's LIA at wildpeacepoetry.com. You can also find my poetry and message me on Instagram: @wildpeace.poetry. Until next time, keep blooming in your own wild and wonderful way.