Living The Pause

Pause for One Another

Sharing by Mary

Lately it feels like we are living in the Land of Oz. Visions of
wicked witches, good witches, flying monkeys, munchkins, and a
Wizard hiding behind a wavering curtain pretending to be the ruler of
OZ. Some mornings, even after caffeine, I can embody any one of
these folks.

The world is spinning off into a tornado and we have the
entire cast of characters lost in a world of their own making.
Dorothy, dreaming she has forgotten who she is and is trying to find
her way home, the Scarecrow without a brain and a body constantly
falling apart, the Lion pretending to be fierce while looking for
courage, the Tin Man unaware of his sensitivity is seeking a heart, and
Toto too thinking about life in a more helpful direction.

Where are those ruby slippers when you need them?

Toto may be the sanest one of the bunch as he pulls the
curtain aside revealing that the Wizard is not a Wizard after all. Once
the Wizard tells the truth about his disguise, his mask falls away. Only
then does he Pause for Dorothy and the gang which opens his heart
and mind to see he has plenty to give all of them and receives plenty
in return.

We turn on the news to witness yet another sequel of the
Land of OZ. Didn’t I watch this exact news yesterday? Yes, I am
watching too much news. How about you?

What is one solution to the ongoing turmoil keeping our
minds spinning and hearts sinking?

Pause for One Another

“As I bless another,
I bless myself.”

It Was In Me All Along

Sharing by Mary

My father shared his Words of Wisdom with me throughout my life.

He was a man of few words, and maybe that is why when he spoke, I
listened. I knew they were Words of Wisdom because they led me to pause and
shift my way of seeing and thinking about life in a more helpful direction.

Whether raking leaves together as a little girl, doing the dishes, or on a road
trip, we seemed to both enjoy the same vibe. Visiting with him in his older
years, we did as we often did, simply being together in quiet.

From within the silence, he uttered the words,
“It was in me all along.”

Those words definitely landed.

Wisdom breaks through when I give my consent.

As I am aware of Inner Wisdom, and truly allow myself to receive, I experience
an inner shift in how I see myself, others, and relationships. It’s not a sacrifice
to let go of my way in favor of receiving a Wiser Way.

The challenge is letting Wisdom truly make a difference in my day-to-day life.

If I don’t apply the Wisdom I have received, if I go on about my day as if I don’t
know any better, I can feel like I have one foot in one world and one foot in
another. This becomes a brewing conflict, an inner divide that deepens over
time as I choose not to follow Wisdom.

I lose my inner peace, which then leads to losing outer peace.

For example, you haven’t heard from me in a while because I…

…chose to take a part-time sabbatical to rest. My Inner Wisdom has been urging
me for at least five years to take a break from work, but I kept ignoring it. I
relied upon a long list of excuses as to why I couldn’t possibly stop working. All
of these excuses were fear-based thoughts that cause exhaustion! My ego
barked at me that if I took a break, Pause for Inspiration (the nonprofit) would
fall apart. This is highly unlikely, as I have reliable people I can call upon for
backup. Thank you, Natalie, and John.

The Bottom Line

No one else can force me to follow the Wisdom I receive.
The choice is always mine.
Might I have some trepidation?
Yes, much of the time!
Will I regret it? Never.

In the midst of everyday life

Download the free “Pause For Inspiration”
mobile app in your app store!

Over The Rainbow
be uplifted

Sharing by Mary

Your Inspired Mind knows what you are experiencing in
your daily life and wants to lift you up! You can open to the
Wisdom, Inspiration, and Peace within. All you have to do is
Pause.
Now, Receive.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be a co-founder of a
nonprofit educational organization, which began because, in my
stress, strife, and lack of purpose in this world, I was willing to Pause
and Receive my Higher Mind. This Bigger Mind, not our ego me-
character, showed me the way of true vision ~ how to perceive,
think, communicate, act, be still, and enter into silence. This Inner
Present LOVE taught me that we have the potential to “Be a Living
Expression of Inspiration in the world.” Help comes to each of us in
various ways: our wise thoughts, an inner awareness of Peace, a heart
space, perhaps awareness of a bodily sensation or way of moving, and
even through another person or an
unexpected encounter.

Your Helpful Self awaits you! Pause in 2026.

We here at Pause are immensely grateful for all the
ways Pause was shared & practiced in 2025.

BJC Healthcare ~ Raising St. Louis Mom’s Group

Kids & Teens Summer Camp

St. Louis University Nursing Professor Invites
Pause to share with Nursing Students

LifeBridge Partnership

ArchWell Health

Tornado Recovery with Shaka

Forest Park Community College Scholars

Youth Empowerment Rally

College Church Retreat

Shared PAUSE with:

Namaste Village in Mexico

Saprea, supporting women survivors of childhood abuse

Neighborhood Healing Network ~ National Crime Victims

Rosé Day Festival ~ Empowering Women and Girls

Better Family Life Resource Tailgate

Bridge the Gap ~ Juneteenth

My Life In a Bag ~ Children in Foster Care and Group Homes

Grateful for Natalie & Myron

Eileen Teaches Pause with Sound Bowls,
Rainsticks!

Natalie Shooting Hoops ~ Mary On The Trail

A Truly JOYFUL, HEALING, and DEEPLY
PEACEFUL 2026 to us all.

Pause For Nourishment

Sharing by Mary

Are you perhaps feeling undernourished? I am not checking in on your
eating leafy greens, hydration, and popping supplements as if they were miracle
pills that will give you boundless energy, heal emotional wounds, and
revive your spirit!

I am asking you,

“Deep on the inside, do you feel malnourished?”

“Is something missing?”

“Are you sensing a gaping hole that nothing seems to fill?”

“Or, maybe you feel blank inside, bored, or lonely?”

“Are you seeking and not finding?”

Would you consider taking in a nourishing pause?

PAUSE

Step back from external noise as much as you can

Pause from who you think you should be and what you should be doing

For this moment, these moments

Begin to notice even a morsel of inner quiet

Ask for Help with letting the stillness deliver nourishment to you

With “Deep Willingness, ” open to receiving and being nourished

Absorb this nourishment, replacing the feeling of being malnourished

Allow a sense of being reassured and sustained

Experiencing what True nourishment provides.

Feeling Trapped?

Sharing by Mary . . . You Have a Choice

As I lay awake last night, hoping to fall asleep sooner rather than
later, a quiet thought behind the chatter entered my mind: “Open your eyes
and look at the ceiling.” Well, that’s a heck of a way to fall asleep, I thought, with
my eyes open. Yet, I followed the direction I received in this pause.

In a pause, staring at the ceiling, I received further Wisdom. I was
shown how I have been listening to the thinking of my cubicle mind, the ego
mind ~ the part of the mind experiencing disconnection, guilt, anxiety, and fear.
AND, I have been TRUSTING this part of the mind that has proven itself to be
unhelpful, untrustworthy, has led me astray, and lives in the land of confusion
with its figuring, analyzing, and thinking.

Oh my, watch out, Dorothy!
LIONS, and TIGERS, and BEARS!

On the other hand, I have been listening, trusting, and following my
Inner Knowing, the Wisdom of Inspiration Within, and enjoying every moment.

Experiencing True Peace.

WOW! This was a breakthrough.
A stark contrast indeed.

This explains why I have been feeling trapped lately. Trying to force
myself to live two ways at once, if you will. Trying to adhere to what my ego mind
tells me I SHOULD DO to live up to the false expectations I have made up for
myself, and to not upset other people by not living up to my perceived
expectations that they have of me.

When we do this, we are left feeling:

Out of sorts
Angry
Impatient
Irritable
Confused
In a fog
Blame others for any number of things
Judgmental of self, and others
Being Stuck
Tired and Fatiqued
NO FUN

Eventually, the bow breaks, which I have experienced and don’t recommend to
anyone!

WANT A TRULY HELPFUL ALTERNATIVE?

Practice Pausing for Your Inner Wisdom

and

PRACTICE RECEIVING and then FOLLOWING.

It Works!

PEACE WILL FOLLOW.

The Choice Is Yours.

Suspicious of The Pause

Sharing by Mary

Yes, some people are SUSPICIOUS OF THE PAUSE! Their cubicle mind has
come up with all kinds of reasons to fear Practicing The Pause. I won’t give the
mind in the box, with its LONG LIST of EXCUSES, JUDGMENTS, and
MISPERCEPTIONS any air time here.

Bottom Line of Worry

Sharing by Mary

ARE YOU A WORRIER? I never thought of myself as a worrier. Yes, I see myself
as a thinker and analyzer, but not a worrier. Lately, I’ve felt like there’s been an energy
drain on my system, as if someone left the faucet on, but I couldn’t find the faucet to
stop the leak, so I made a decision to pause for an afternoon off.

Visiting a healthcare provider who focuses on healing at a deeper level, I inquired,
“What is going on?” She responded, “It’s your mind. It’s all in the mind. You worry! You
worry too much!”

She dimmed the lights and closed the door so I could rest quietly. Turning inward, I
called upon my Dear Friend, this Presence of Love within, to get in touch with what is
truly draining my energy. Sure enough, as clear as day, I saw how I have been
worrying about many things, especially for the last few months; feeling divided about
how I spend my time and energy, and what things I am pressuring myself to be my
priorities in daily life. Then, as I pause for Wisdom, I become aware that these are not
the priorities that LOVE is calling me to live by at all.

Furthermore, choices that I thought of as showing concern, taking responsibility, and
being conscientious, were WORRYING!!!

THE SOLUTION?

In a pause, I decided to slow down so that I can be more aware of WHAT IS GOING
ON IN MY MIND; the pace of my thoughts, what these thoughts are preaching to
me, how these thoughts are making me feel, and
Pause to call upon and listen to the Presence of LOVE in me INSTEAD ~
The LOVE that is beneath the mental chatter is sharing quite a different story.

Rather than a story of overwhelm and frustration, A TRUE STORY OF
THE PEACE and JOY that is fully available to all of us, shaping a new
way of seeing and living everyday life in the world.
Seeing the potential
that an ordinary day holds for extending Peace and Joy.
I am making choices in my mind with my everyday time.
What are they?

Let Peace Be With You

One Fine Day ~ A Practical Poem

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