The Power of Pause

This week we had the memorial service for my wife's grandfather.  He was a tremendous, larger than life man who had an impact on so many people. It was truly great to see the outpouring of love from so many people to the family. 

As I had a chance to look around the room while performing a song with my wife and mother-in-law, I looked up from my guitar and saw something I'd never really noticed before in other services: people collectively taking a pause. For even just a brief moment, everyone was all there, sharing one particular moment in time, bonded in sadness and hope. 

Far too often, we only take a moment to reflect on our lives when we forced pause happens. I can remember the few weeks after September 11th, 2001, the nation experienced a collective forced pause that had an entire country taking a moment to evaluate life and it's priorities.  The same happened for me personally after a bad car wreck in West Virginia during college. After being spared from major harm in an otherwise horrendous accident, I spent the next few days reflecting on what truly matters and how to better to after it.

Something about tragedy lends itself to self reflection. However, too many of us allow that to be the only time in which it occurs. I wonder, how much more meaningful would our lives be if we could take a moment of pause to evaluate in good times?  Or maybe a better question: how much better would our relationships be if we took the appropriate time to keep our priorities straight? 

Life moves too fast to allow ourselves to get distracted by business, deadlines and negativity.  Challenge yourself to find a moment of pause and simply reflect. I think you'll like the outcome.