Welcome to The Pause, dear friend. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.
It’s officially summertime and in true SF fashion, we’re heading out to find some sunshine over the next week.
Today we’re gonna talk about getting to know the people we love most.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3…2…1…
I Want to Get to Know You
I love when Jazzy has extended breaks from school. Winter. Spring. Summer. Whatever the time of year, I cherish the chance to spend quality time with her and get to know who she has become since we last got to be together for more consecutive time than after school or on weekends.
We have our “things” we do together. On Mondays, we go to get groceries from BiRite—Jazzy shoots her shot, “Hey Mommy, I think we need this,” at almost every fruit or low-to-the-ground item in hopes she may strike gold and get to put said item in the cart. On Tuesdays, we hit Cal Academy of Sciences for member hour to catch a glimpse of Claude and find Dory. Wednesdays, we trek out to the zoo to laugh at the Mandrills and ride the 100-year-old carousel—the same carousel my great-grandfather took my grandfather to, my grandfather took my dad to, and my dad took me to—and so on and so forth through the week until we reach the weekend together.
I cherish our rituals—each day its own touchpoint in helping me see her for who she is now, during this break. Like how she’s watched The Lion King since our last break and now gets a huge kick out of seeing “Timon” at the zoo. Or how she’s tried Rainier cherries and is now pulled straight toward them when we walk into the grocery store.
I relish getting to know who she is today—how she’s changed, what she likes, what she doesn’t—because I know she’s different from our time together during spring break (and the winter break before). How could she not be? Every day, every experience, every moment has an influence on who she is becoming. And I’m so proud of her, all of her.
I’d love for people to want to get to know me the way I want to get to know Jazz—with a zest and deep desire to see me for who I am today because they know I am different from a few years ago, a year ago, six months ago, and three months ago even. It takes commitment to see someone we love and interact with often in this light—to want to see them and actually be present enough to experience them for who they are today instead of making assumptions based on who they’ve been—and I can’t think of a more worthwhile investment of our time and attention. Wouldn’t you love to be seen for who you are today? For who you’ve become?
Today, let’s take a moment to extend this sentiment and energy to someone we love in our lives. Someone we love deeply, see often and somehow have forgotten to get to know. Because even with all the time we spend with our people, we aren’t always present. We aren’t always interested. We aren’t always aware that it’s a miracle and blessing to be a part of each other’s lives, and their presence is not something to be taken for granted. You want to get to know them, and I bet they want to get to know you too.
⏸ Pause
Think of someone you love deeply and see often.
When was the last time you really got to know this person?
What’s something you can do to get to know who they are today?
I appreciate you for being here. Cheers to you and the second half of the year. 🖤
~ L
Beautiful! Thank you for this pause and for making me think about how to appreciate how my grown-up friends may have changed over time.