Welcome to this issue of The Pause. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
Before we get going, a quick hello and thank you for being here. I know for a sizeable chunk of you this is your first experience of The Pause. I’m grateful you’re here and look forward to showing you around.
Each issue of The Pause begins with a quick intro, just like the one you’re reading now, and then transitions into our topic of the day (ex: here and here). If you’re a free subscriber, you’ll have access to the intro. If you’re a paying subscriber, you’ll have access to the intro, topic of the day, as well as the set of questions included at the bottom of this email to help you turn the lens inward and walk away with a greater feeling of connection. To give you a sense of how this flows, I’ve opened access to today’s issue to free subscribers. If you end up enjoying what you read, you can upgrade your subscription for access to the questions, the full archive, the ability to comment and engage with fellow community members, and total access to upcoming issues of The Pause.
Since today is the final day of November, I think it’d be nice for us to spend today’s issue wrapping up the month with gratitude.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3...2...1...
🙏🏻 Thank You
I love November.
I love the feeling of the seasons changing. I love the crisp bite in the air. I love the candy pink sunsets. And, I love the opportunity to be thankful.
Annually, reflections from the past year begin to reveal themselves to me in late November — the numerous people, places, and experiences I’m grateful for come forward in a slow stream of memories and lessons learned. It’s a precious process that I’ve come to appreciate more with each year that passes.
This past year I’ve grown even more thankful for the people in my life. I’m thankful for the love my husband and daughter bring to me every day. I’m thankful for the wisdom my parents openly share. I’m thankful for my extended family and friends and the fulfillment the deepening of these relationships brings.
And, as a fairly recent acknowledgment, I’m thankful for myself.
It dawned on me last week that, while I’m in a great habit of expressing gratitude for those people, places, and experiences outside of myself who have contributed to who I’ve become in the past year, I’m less purposeful with expressing gratitude for myself.
Part of what I’m grateful for this past year is a renewed love and appreciation of myself that has come with becoming a mother. I am beginning to love myself the way I want my daughter to love herself, and it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.
As this month of gratitude comes to a close, and your mind is warm with the thanks you’ve shared with those you love, please consider pausing for a moment to say, “Thank you,” to yourself. Consider pausing to appreciate all you are and all you have already become in your lifetime. Consider pausing to give gratitude for being there IRL for every single moment of your life.
You’re the protagonist of your own life, my dear friend. You’re the main character. You’re the ultimate source of wisdom on who you are and what makes you, you, and that is something to be grateful for. Today and every day.
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
**Remember, there are no right or wrong answers; just what’s true for you.**
Take a moment to thank yourself. Thank yourself for being there throughout the entirety of your life. Thank yourself for weathering life’s ups and downs. Thank yourself for your relentless pursuit of who you are and what you’re meant for. Thank yourself for continuing to unearth what it means to be you. You are so special. Take a moment to appreciate it.
Thank you for choosing to spend a few moments here with me. Take care of yourself and enjoy the remainder of your November.
Until we meet again. 🖤
- L
As a complement to this post, I want to say thank you again for coming here and being a part of this community. I’m blessed to share these moments with you and I’m looking forward to continuing our journey together. 🖤