Welcome to this issue of The Pause, my friend. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
Before we get moving, I want to say a quick thank you for being here.
I started The Pause in April and sent the first issue out to six of you who believed in me and my dream to create something that would encourage people to pause for a moment, check-in, and realign with what's important in their lives. Over the past six months, one by one you have joined, and as I sit here about to press "send," I'm feeling grateful for the growth. We're on the cusp of twenty subscribers, which may not feel like a lot to some, but feels like everything to me. So, thank you. Thank you for being here and being a part of this community. The potential ripple effect of these moments we spend together is something that inspires me, and I hope it does the same for you, too.
For today's issue of The Pause, we're going to take a moment to focus on what it means to love yourself at this phase of your life.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3...2...1...
🫶🏻 Go and Love Yourself
My daughter started attending daycare a few weeks ago, and with that has come time for me to sit, be still, and consider how I'm showing up in my life: what I feel I’m doing well, what I feel I could put more effort into, what I’m tired of committing mental energy to, etc., etc.
After drop-off this past Monday morning, I curled up with a cup of coffee on the couch and started contemplating the lessons I want to teach Jazz; things like how to give herself grace, how to navigate her gut feelings, and how to love herself.
The latter kind of threw me for a loop. I know the most effective way to teach Jazz to love herself is to be an example of what that looks like, so when I felt a knot slowly tying up in my throat I realized it was time for me to answer a question...
...what does loving myself look like right now?
During various phases of life, loving myself has taken on different forms.
In my early-20's, loving myself looked less like love and more like tolerance of who I thought I should be.
After my divorce, loving myself looked like rediscovering who I *wanted* to be and investing in my mental, physical, and emotional development.
Starting around 30, loving myself began to look more like acceptance of and contentment with myself.
And now? After having a beautiful baby girl?
I think it's finally time for loving myself to start looking like...love.
It's taken me 32 years, and it feels as though now is the time that I'm finally ready to love myself -- not just tolerate or accept, but to fully and whole-heartedly love the entirety of who I am, who I've been, and who I will be. Just talking with you about loving myself with this voraciousness feels powerful. That kind of love feels unstoppable. My body is buzzing and my eyes are tearing up.
So today I encourage you to join me and take a moment to consider what it would mean for you to fully and whole-heartedly love yourself. To not just tolerate, or accept, or be content with, but to fully and whole-heartedly love. How would it change the way you show up in the world? How would it change the way you show up for yourself? How would it change you?
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
What if you chose to fully and whole-heartedly love yourself?
How would loving yourself in this way change the way you show up in the world?
How would loving yourself in this way change the way you show up for yourself?
How would loving yourself in this way change you?
And with that, we conclude our October issues of The Pause. Thank you again for being here and for taking a moment to check-in on yourself. Sending you love until we meet again. 🖤
- L
**If you’re new to The Pause and are curious about what exactly you’re reading, you can learn more about us here or come join us for the next issue here.**