Welcome to Pushing Pause! A bi-weekly newsletter offering you an invitation to push pause and explore faith, rest, and beauty in the every day moments of life.
It is late afternoon creeping towards dinner time and I’m standing over the cutting board slicing carrots. My headphones are in my ears with chatter occupying the space between as I listen to a podcast. As I chop and listen I feel the tension in my shoulders and have to consciously relax them back down to their proper place. I take out my earbuds realizing that the constant noise is only making me feel more anxious and stressed in this moment. As I do, I hear my daughter practicing the piano and I smile at the music of her hard work filling our home. I also hear the hum of the lawnmower outside as I catch a glimpse of my son making rows through the grass. These are the sounds of life in this moment and I notice how quickly I am to drown them out. It’s not always done intentionally. It’s most often not. I’m overwhelmed easily with noise. A constant tapping of a pen will send me into a quick rage. A loud restaurant or bar feels like a violation to my senses. So why do I add more noise to my life? Sometimes it’s done to escape the noise of my life that I find unpleasant like children arguing, the dog barking, the video games being played. Other times it is done out of the desire to multi-task and squeeze each moment of its productive opportunity. Why just unload the dishwasher when I could also be listening to a book? Technology makes this easy and I am thankful for the endless knowledge available to consume and voices to learn from in the midst of ordinary life. I love podcasts and listen to them everyday, However, I’ve caught myself too often drowning out the sounds of my own life.
I believe God is with us and speaks to us most in the midst of ordinary moments. In the noise of our life: the interruptions, the laughter, the crying babies, the sibling squabbles, the hush of the morning, the sizzle of the skillet, the birdsong, and so much more. What are the sounds of your life right now? And where might there be an invitation to listen more?
I still pop my earbuds in while doing chores around the house or while taking walks but I’m learning to pay attention to what’s not being heard when I do that and where I might be missing the very sounds of life that matter in that moment. Last week as I walked a familiar trail, I took out my earbuds and traded the voices of strangers for the hush of the woods and I knew this mattered more in the moment than being entertained. We can fill each moment with noise or trade one sound for another but may we not drown out the very sounds of our life that hold beauty or invitations to be present.
A Practice
Notice the sounds of your life
Pause throughout your day and pay attention to what you hear.
Where is there silence? What noise feels like too much? What do you tend to ignore or try to avoid? Where might there be an invitation to listen to the sounds of your life more intentionally?
May this practice give you more awareness and anchor you to how God might be showing up in the loud or quiet sounds of your life.
Personal Update
Last weekend I finished my first year of training to become a spiritual director! It was a rich year of growing for me and something I continue to be thankful for the more I learn. I have another year ahead of me and am looking forward to the ways it will continue to deepen my own faith, my ability to accompany others, and the growing relationships within my co-hort. Along with that, I’ve also been putting my teaching degree to good use as a substitute teacher in our school system. It’s been both challenging and rewarding. As we move into the summer season I am looking forward to a break in those areas and excited to show up in this space with my words more consistently. May is also birthday month for my two kids and I’m now the parent of a teenager. How is that possible? Life has been full and truth be told I’m ready for the days to simmer down a bit. More pool days and less emails. More sleeping in and less early alarms. However, one of my children still has a month left of school…we can do this!
I hope you are finding pockets of peace in what I know is often a busy season. What are you looking forward to this summer? - Lindsay