The Gift of Stopping

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Stopping

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.:

Anne Lamott

Stop! Halt!  Take some time.

Clear your mind.

Pause, repose, and try some tranquility.

Unplug yourself, reset yourself so you can stop and see that stopping is an effective way to restore your normality. 

Clear your mind, meditate.

Detox your mind, body, and soul.

When you take those moments to just stand still.

You may experience a rush, a revitalizing invigoration to move forward with purpose and motivation.

To share the gift of stopping with someone else, to encourage them to be their best. 

So practice stopping and pausing, even if for a moment.

Those moments will make a deposit in your soul.

You can take those moments and share them with others, and just watch what unfolds. 

People will keep passing on kindness to others, and you will see that stopping will be a very beneficial practice for humanity. 

The Gift of Stopping

Life is busy. particularly in our fast paced world with 24/7 news, social media, and television. It just seems like everything moves so quickly.  It is very easy to feel overwhelmed. Add to that the constant barrage of political ads, social movements, and the ever-changing nature of society, and it can rob us of our humanity. The choice of goodness, I believe, starts with us. If we have not stopped in a while, the dust and dank of daily life will eventually consume us and we will become bitter. Those small, thankful, or meaningful moments are lost when bitterness replaces sweetness. Instead of being filled with moments of joy or delight, life becomes acidic and pungent. Is all of life this way? Absolutely not. But, in order to strive to reach our full potential, it is essential to take a moment, stop. Find something to be thankful for. Regardless of how small the situation may be, those minute moments make deposits in our mind, soul, and spirit. Resetting the dust and darkness around us When you unplug an electronic device, it forces the system to stop, reset, reboot, and clear any software problems that the device has encountered. The firmware in the electronics may have encountered a bug that causes memory leaks or crashes. If we apply this idea to ourselves, it makes a lot of sense. It is not necessary to stop for an extended period of time. Alternatively, stopping could mean taking a few days away from the phone. Our family has a tradition of “phone henge” during dinner. We place our phones like stonehenge so that we can focus on each other and engage in conversation about life, the universe, and everything. Recently, I read an article that put forth the idea that it is ok to be bored from time to time. Life does not always have to be “on the phone.” The article went on to say that before the age of electronics, people accepted that there would be times that were not filled with stimulation, and that was ok. I discussed this article with my husband during our daily walk, and he took issue with the concept that it is okay to be bored. He suggested that perhaps it is okay to be content. I encourage you all, dear readers, to take a moment to stop. This will not only give you a moment of respite, but this moment could possibly spill over to others who are in need of a moment’s peace by watching your example. 

Source: howtogeek.com, forbes.com