Finding Purpose in the Pause

Here at the Jersey Shore, we've begun the new year with two separate snow days. While on one hand these days disrupt our typical routine, on the other hand they give us an opportunity to stop and notice what going on around us. Maybe it offers a chance to change things up. Our brains are wired to do this: whenever there is a change in our environment, it is natural survival instinct that forces us to stop and pay attention. Perhaps there is some danger lurking in the change. (BTW, this is what makes sudden silences, or lighting effects, or other changes useful tools in capturing an audience's attention... I wrote on that a bit last year).

While it feels cliche to say that a pause in routine is a time to reflect... it's even more cliche to say the fresh snow is a metaphor for a blank page... we can use that page to reflect, to brainstorm, to set goals... So maybe a fresh start is exactly what today is. After all, we use things like New Year's Day, a birthday, or anniversary of a life event, to do the same thing. Many people have found new directions in their life during the last two years of Covid-life. Simple things like snow days can operate in the same way.

So, if you've got some time today like I do, perhaps you'll have a moment in the pause to sit down to think, or write, or whatever. Regardless of what you do with it, that pause is a gift of unlimited possibilities. I encourage you to use it to your advantage.

Happy writing!

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