Welcome to The Pause, dear friend. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
When life starts flowing again after a season of ebbing, man, there’s a whole new level of love, appreciation, and respect for being alive.
I’m currently there right now.
Grateful. Refreshed. Renewed. Encouraged. And, thoroughly excited to see what the future holds.
(…like if there are any other Beyoncé albums coming our way 👀🪩🔥 #howcanshesayacti? #imtrippin).
Today I thought it’d be fun to take a moment and celebrate the rituals we hold dear to our hearts.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3…2…1…
🎈 Birthday Eve
On April 2nd, 2016 I pulled up to Baker Beach. Parked my car. Looked out as the sun was setting on the Golden Gate Bridge, and cried.
Less than a year earlier, my first husband had gotten on one knee and proposed no more than 200 yards away from where I was sitting.
After he proposed, we were quick to marry — less than six months passing before we pledged, “I do.”
Six months after that we decided it was best to separate.
Three months after that we made it offical and filed for divorce.
That sunset sobfest at Baker Beach marked exactly six months and one day since our divorce filing, which, by the State of California law, meant the dissolution of our marriage had legally been processed. I was officially divorced.
..It also happened to be the eve of my 27th birthday.
That night at Baker Beach I sat and allowed myself to process the entirety of the year previous (my divorce finalizing the last day of my 26th year feeling like a gift and demented joke at the same time).
I let myself have a honest moment to check in — alternating between giving myself credit and constructive criticism — about what went well, what I wished had gone better, and what I hoped to become better at in my new year.
And, without realizing it, I planted the seed of a ritual that has since become sacred to me.
Every year since then, on my birthday’s eve I find a quiet place to watch the sunset, and — as the sun descends towards the horizon — I process the previous year.
The good.
The regrettable.
The growth.
The regressions.
I let myself feel and process it all.
And, without fail, I walk away feeling more connected to the miraculousness and gift of my life than ever before.
We all have rituals that do this for us.
Maybe it’s a cup of tea in the quiet of the morning.
Maybe it’s an annual trip with best friends.
Maybe it’s a walk around the block with your overly-excited dog.
Whatever it is, pause for a moment and appreciate just how much that ritual enhances your experience of life.
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
**Get curious. Have fun. There are no right or wrong answers; just what’s true for you.**
What rituals do you have?
How do these rituals help you set the tone for the day/week/year to come?
It’s an honor to meet you here, as always. Thanks for spending a few of your life moments with me.
Until next time. 🖤
~ L