Thursday 3 April 2014

PAUSE


On Sunday, I was preparing a chicken to roast on the braai (braai = barbeque =wir wollten grillen), when I saw such wonderful colours and flavours on my chopping board. I was slicing through a beautiful purple and white striped red onion and next to it lay the bright yellow lemon, with garlic cloves, salt and pepper. I found myself at the door about to race off to fetch my camera, when I had to say NO! Stop! It's Sunday. AND if you fetch your camera, nobody will get fed.

I'm back on the PAUSE - thing. There's just a time to switch off. We can't be creative unless we occasionally stop to breathe.

We suddenly have a whole lot more technology at home and it's my main means of communication these days, so I'm finding it more and more difficult to do. But there comes a time when you have to switch off the iPads, the iPhones, laptops, TV and even the camera. Not everything needs to be recorded. Not everyone needs to know what you're doing. Even if it is a miracle that you CAN share what life is like here today, with someone on the opposite side of the globe. Sometimes some of it needs to be your little secret.

Some of it just needs to be savoured and enjoyed. There's also a time when you have to stop cleaning and tidying, even put the book down! Come back to the present moment and just sit together and be. Why is that so hard to do?

So I finished preparing the food. I went outside. I sat on the bench. I drank a glass of wine with my husband. I admired the tulips I've planted and we watched our girls giggling on the trampoline.

And it was good.

And the chicken was good too! (Pop me an email if you'd like me to send you the make-shift recipe.)
I took these images a couple of days later, when it was work time.
I'll find the balance again, somehow. And you?






If you're feeling a need to PAUSE,

Do what you love is offering a free course called, Zen for Ten. It's a 10 day programme - "to help you slow down, tune in and light up", where you just get inspiring emails sent your inbox.

They promise: "beautiful imagery, short exercises and inspiring prompts." It starts on Monday, 7 April.

Sounds like a brilliant way to charge the batteries, clear the mind, take a breath and re-focus on the important stuff. I think I might JFDI, as my husband likes to say. (which roughly translates to Just Do It)



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so right. We need to make time to pause with those close to us...or sometimes just on our own - even if it feels so selfish, it is not. Because how can you be you if you have no time to remind yourself of who you are?

Karené said...

Exactly! You've summed it up!

Unknown said...

Unpause and send us that recipe! I'm permanently on Pause when I need dinner inspiration unfortunately! x

Karené said...

Just for you! Scroll up to find the recipe!

Karené said...

Now, you have to make it and tell me what you think!