In the pause, we step out of reactive mode into intuitive response.
Pauses are as important as the notes in music, the words in a speech, or the movements between yoga poses. A pause is like the white space in visual art, serving to allow for processing, building connection, creating impact, and helping us understand and absorb our experience.
The end of the year allows
for rest, reflection, integration of experiences, and deeper imagination for the possibilities in 2026. I recently participated in a women's retreat in which we were invited to reflect on the important points in 2025 and the prominent feelings the experience(s) evoked. I realized I completed 3 distinct cycles. The first cycle started when I was an infant, the second at age 12, and the third at age 38. The first cycle, I will label as very ingrained and painful; the second, challenging yet
captivating, and the third, enthralling and satisfying. When I combine all three cycles, the areas where they overlap reveal a common thread: self-compassion. In my adult life, I've learned that kindness, gentleness and patience are incredibly wise antidotes to apply to my moments of suffering. Through the gentleness and patience that are self-compassion, I can now see how my most entrenched cycle and the lighter cycles coexist and naturally complete.
I would not have
recognized the gifts of completion that came through in 2025 if I had not paused to reflect on the common threads of suffering, struggle, and the satisfaction that results from trusting myself and applying kindness, gentleness, and patience.
❓🙋Where are you in your cycle? Will you allow yourself to pause and reflect on yourself navigating the acceleration year that was 2025 with the eyes of compassion this week?
Sometimes the
most important thing we can do is pause. In a world that constantly urges us to move faster, produce more, and keep going, taking a moment to stop can feel counterintuitive—even uncomfortable. But in that stillness, we find space to breathe, feel, relax, watch, and allow ourselves to simply be.
It’s in the pause that we hear the whispers of our intuition, the voice of wisdom that has always been there. A pause doesn’t have to be long—a deep breath, a short walk in
nature or taking 5 minutes to journal can reveal important insights.
