Welcome to April’s first issue of The Pause. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
We’re here, y’all. Year Two of The Pause is officially kicking off, and I am so thrilled we’re getting into it.
I got to celebrate my 33rd birthday a week and a half ago, and one of the things I felt most grateful for was this opportunity to reconnect with myself, you, and the world around me through writing again. It’s a blessing to feel like the contemplations of my inner mind have company (ahem… you), and a loving spot to land.
Today, we’re gonna jump straight into it and take a moment to enjoy life.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3...2...1...
💐 Enjoy Life
I love spring.
I love the smells. I love the sunlight stretching into the evening. I love the feeling of renewal as blossoms bloom, rising from their slumber seemingly more beautiful than ever before.
Spring brings April, and April brings my entire family a fresh, new set of birthdays to celebrate.
I’m the 3rd. My daughter, the 8th. Our dog, the 12th. My husband, the 29th.
In April, we take more time to celebrate each other. We reflect more often on who we’ve been in the past year and make adjustments, accordingly. We put more effort into our environment: investing in flowers, cards, and blow-up balloons to fill the walls of our dining room with cheer.
It’s a delight I look forward to every year because we do the thing that my mother-in-law is always lovingly reminding us to do: We enjoy life.
Today is a brilliant day to celebrate what’s going well. It’s a brilliant day to reflect on what you love about being alive. It’s a brilliant day to look up, look around, and spruce up your surroundings to bring yourself more cheer.
Today, take a moment to celebrate, to reflect, and to remember the importance of enjoying life.
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
**Get curious and have fun. There are no right or wrong answers; just what’s true for you.**
What’s something that’s going really well right now? What are you really enjoying about life?
What’s your favorite part of being alive (especially during this period of history)?
What makes you happiest these days? What’s something you want to celebrate?
Enjoy life these next couple of weeks, my friends.
Until we meet again. 🖤
- L
Hi friends! Welcome to the comments of this issue. Enjoy my answers, share your own, or simply browse to your heart's desire 🖤.
**What’s something that’s going really well right now? What are you really enjoying about life?
I am really enjoying stepping into myself as a mother, companion, and individual in a more "normal" world. I love who I'm becoming and who I've transformed into over the past couple of years. The seeds I've planted feel like they're beginning to bloom, and I feel very proud of that.
**What’s your favorite part of being alive (especially during this period of history)?
All of the science around emotions and the human experience. I love getting to watch compassion, vulnerability, and kindness come to the forefront not as frivolous emotions, but as legitimate, validated, and studied human emotions. So cool.
**What makes you happiest these days? What’s something you want to celebrate?
My family. Spending time with people I love without the anxiety of covid weighing things down. I want to celebrate social interactions and their necessity for me being able to experience a balanced, loving life.