Practicing the Pause
An Invitation to Slow Down
Introduction by: Deena DuFour
At Chautauqua Wawasee, we are beginning a new series centered on a simple but powerful idea. Life is not meant to be rushed through. It is meant to be lived, noticed, and experienced.
Practicing the Pause invites us to slow our pace and pay attention to the moments we often move past without a second thought. The ordinary moments. The quiet spaces between responsibilities. The small experiences that, when we take time to notice them, reveal their deeper meaning.
Finding Balance in a Busy World
We live in a world that constantly competes for our attention. Schedules fill quickly. Screens demand focus. Notifications arrive without pause. Choosing to slow down can feel difficult, even uncomfortable. Yet it is often in those intentional pauses that clarity, peace, and connection begin to surface.
This initiative is not about stepping away from modern life. It is about finding balance within it. Practicing the Pause encourages us to be more mindful of how we spend our time and where we place our attention. It asks us to be fully present, even in the midst of busy days.
Reflections From Everyday Life
Over the coming months, members of the Chautauqua Wawasee marketing team will share personal reflections on what it means to practice the pause in everyday life. Each reflection will offer a different perspective shaped by lived experience, reminding us that there is no single right way to slow down.
Our First Reflection
We begin this series with a reflection from Karen Kroemer, who shares what practicing the pause looks like through a grandmother’s eyes. Her perspective centers on intentional listening, being fully present, and choosing where our focus rests in a world full of distractions.
Pause-
By Karen Kroemer
In a world filled with constant noise and endless distractions, pausing has become a spiritual and necessary discipline. Phone calls from unknown numbers, message alerts, emails, and social media notifications clamor for our attention. Yet we are not powerless. We can choose where our focus rests.
If an important call comes from an unfamiliar number, the caller can leave a message. Unless you are awaiting an urgent text or email, those notifications can wait. When we slow down and fully engage in the moment before us, we make space for peace. There is deep comfort in knowing we can choose what matters most.
Many of us turn to Facebook or Instagram to “catch up,” only to find ourselves lingering far longer than intended. Reels appear, minutes slip away, and suddenly precious time is gone. Pausing helps us reclaim those moments and refocus our hearts.
As a grandmother, I’ve come to treasure the sacred act of listening-truly listening. Looking someone in the eye, giving them our full attention, and being fully present are gifts we offer one another, especially to our grandchildren. When we model this kind of attentiveness, we reflect the love and care we hope to receive in return.
Take Control. You get to decide how you spend your time.
Our Second Reflection
Next in our series is a reflection from Kevin Miller, who explores the art of the pause in a fast-moving world. His perspective invites us to rethink our relationship with time, embrace stillness, and recognize the quiet moments that often hold the most meaning.
The Art of the Pause-
By Kevin Miller
There’s an age-old story of a pastor bragging to a colleague: “I don’t take vacations,” he declared, “because the Devil never takes a day off!” His friend looked at him thoughtfully and replied, “I don’t think you’re following the right role model.”
When it comes to hitting the pause button, whose example are you following?
Pausing is not only part of the story of creation, but seems to be how we, ourselves, are created. I caught myself typing “seems to be” here. After a moment of reflection (pausing), I decided that I intuitively resisted using the more definitive phrase, “IS how we are created,” because for years, I programmed myself to believe – like many others – that “pausing” is a weakness. After all, he who hesitates is lost, right?
There is a plethora of evidence that as technology has developed more rapidly, our patience has worn thin. In the days of “dial-up” internet, it took a minute (or so) to connect, and we were fine with it. Today, however, if we’re not connected instantly, we become frustrated. This is why I think pausing is an art. It is a necessary micro-vacation for not only your mind, but is also necessary for your soul.
And so I invite you to do the hard thing…look for opportunities to pause. How?
• Be present in the moment, and embrace the pause – It often happens unexpectedly. Maybe it’s sitting in traffic, or the internet goes out, or you’re enjoying technology-free time with your family. Recognize the opportunity.
• Embrace boredom – As I’ve aged, I’ve decided that boredom is highly underrated. Give yourself permission to allow time to slow down and be okay with staring out the window, or getting lost in the quiet.
• Realize that this particular moment is unique, and won’t be repeated – At the end of the day, it’s still the end of the day. Pause and be grateful for a text from a friend, or a moment with someone you love. Every moment is precious and unique.
Our Third Reflection
Our third reflection comes from Matt Goodnight, who finds life’s most meaningful pauses in the rhythms of nature. Through the beauty of sunrise, sunset, and the rising full moon, Matt reminds us to slow down, appreciate God’s creation, and cherish the moments we share with family and friends.
Sunrise, Sunset and a Full Moon Rising
By Matt Goodnight
So what does a “pause” mean for you? For me, it’s the daily Sunrise, Sunset and glorious full moons.
We are blessed in Kosciusko County to have over 100 lakes adding to the beauty of rolling countryside landscapes of fields and woodlands. I find joy in the combination of these!
The colors begin in the eastern sky long before the sun rises. Blessed with an east-facing deck, I am able to enjoy my morning coffee observing the changing colors of the sky. The birds begin to take wing, chirp and sing. With the combination of water, the lake reflects the colors in a different shade and hue to what the sky shows.
Sitting there alone, observing what people say is God’s painting of the horizon gives me the opportunity to pause. Take in the beauty of nature and be alone with thoughts running in my awakening brain. Then again I pause to be thankful for the past blessings that have brought me to this day and time and of course this place to witness the ever-changing colors of the sky.
Until the moment the sun fully breaks the tree line and clouds, then I make the move to put on sunglasses and start the day after personal prayer, meditation and planning for the day. I hear others beginning their morning routines and realize I am not alone in this journey.
Sunrise is a great time to pause.
Sunset times change throughout the year as the sun makes its annual journey northward on the horizon for the longer days in the summer. Then it retreats south as it brings cooler temperatures and shorter days.
My parents moved our family to Southwest Florida from Indiana after I started college in Indy. They would load my siblings in the car after dinner and drive to one of the nearby Gulf-front parks to watch the sunset…. because they said, “Every sunset you witness is different.”
As my wife and I became parents, one spring break we took our kids to Key West. Watching the sunset from Mallory Square with hundreds of locals and tourists erupting in applause as the sun sank into the Gulf of Mexico….. you realize that a Sunset is a great event to share with people.
This becomes a different kind of pause. It is a different feeling. This pause is shared with friends. While on a boat, it is such a wonderful feeling to move to neutral gear and just float. All of the people on the boat stop and look toward the western horizon to see the glowing pink and red sun end its daily trip across the sky.
Dear friends see the same sky I do, but they have different feelings and thoughts at that same time. We share it together. We pause with others. Many times silently, but know we should speak up and say thanks for being here with me today as we share this sunset together.
Sunset is a great time to pause.
The moon rises and sets at various times throughout the month. The moon also morphs through its phases, changing the shapes we see as it moves across our sky. There are times it is not readily visible due to the daylight. Sometimes it is coming up long after we have watched the last of the newscast and headed to bed. Other times it seems to be mid-sky as we wake in the morning.
It is the magical sight when the moon phase moves from just a toenail sliver to a full glorious moon and begins the ascent into the sky at a time when we can observe the mysterious orb coming over the eastern horizon, much like a sunrise but with a different intensity of light.
It seems to happen with perfect timing as I am sitting on the deck with my wife or out on the lake going for a slow ride as the day comes to an end. I pause, reach for the hand that I placed a ring on as she became my spouse way back in 1989. We pause together.
As a Full Moon moves quickly up into the sky, we realize just how quickly the moment of the moon rising happens. Soon the color changes to a white that reflects off the water and ripples across the lake.
If we didn’t pause, we would have missed it…. together. As a couple. As a family. As parents. As grandparents.
The Full Moon rising is a great time to pause.
Our Fourth Reflection
Our fourth reflection comes from Deena DuFour, who reflects on making room for rest, curiosity, and joy amid life’s demands. Through caregiving, creativity, and faith, she reminds us that pausing helps us be more present for ourselves and those we love.
Pause. Now.
By Deena DuFour
It’s funny how easily most of us convince ourselves that taking time for ourselves is selfish.
As the Graphic and Social Media Director for Chautauqua-Wawasee, I spend my days creating, connecting, and trying to keep up with a world of deadlines and details. But that’s just one piece of who I am. I’m also a parent and a caregiver for my husband. Like so many of us, I know how quickly life can fill every available space.
There are appointments to keep, meals to prepare, emails to answer, laundry to fold, problems to solve, and people depending on us. Before long, our own needs end up at the bottom of the list. If we aren’t careful, we start to believe they belong there, and that everyone else’s needs simply matter more. Caregiving, especially, has a way of making a pause feel impossible to find at times. It’s not always dramatic. It’s doctor’s appointments to schedule, documents to upload, therapy to oversee, and one more phone call to make. But that steady weight adds up, and that is exactly why the pause matters so much, not less.
Taking time to rest isn’t neglecting our responsibilities. It gives us the patience, strength, and perspective we need to keep going when life gets busy or just downright frustrating. Rest doesn’t erase the to-do list. It just makes us steadier for it.
Sometimes that pause looks like a cup of coffee (or three), a walk, a good book, prayer, time with someone we love, or a few hours spent doing something simply because it brings us joy. Sometimes it’s smaller than that, like five minutes of peace before everyone in the house wakes up or a drive with the radio just a little bit too loud.
And sometimes, if we’re lucky, a pause finds us in the middle of the work itself.
Most people wouldn’t think of a job as a pause, but I do. There are moments when I’m designing a graphic or chatting with our Chautauqua Facebook followers and the work stops feeling like a task. It simply feels like fun. Part of that is the people. I get to work alongside people I genuinely love working with, and that alone can turn an ordinary Tuesday into something worth being grateful for.
My children have taught me something about pausing, too.
My twelve-year-old daughter still looks at the world with real curiosity. She notices things, asks why, and stays open to being surprised. She has a kind heart and can’t help but find the best in everyone she meets. I also want to pause long enough to notice her growing and changing because these days are here and gone in a heartbeat. One minute, they need us for everything. Next, they are becoming more independent, finding their own voice, and stepping into who they are meant to be.
My son is grown and out of the house now, but pausing to listen to him is pretty magical. Hearing his opinions, ideas, questions, and wonderfully interesting take on the world is one of life’s greatest joys. He notices things I’d never have considered, and he asks questions that make me think differently. If I didn’t slow down long enough to listen, I would miss some of the best conversations I have ever had.
I always joke that I’ll forever see him as a little three-year-old, munching on raisins and begging me to play Blue’s Clues with him. Truthfully, part of me always will. But when I step out of mom-mode long enough to really see the man he has become, I’m in awe.
But here’s the catch: I can’t be curious, or fully present for any of it, if I never stop moving long enough to look and listen. Curiosity needs a pause of its own, a moment to truly see what is in front of me instead of rushing past it.
When we’re overwhelmed, it becomes easy to miss the little glimmers of joy that are still present. They’re sneaky little things. A kind smile. Sunlight through the window. Laughter from another room. A flower in bloom. Little reminders that we are not carrying everything alone.
Those moments don’t ask for much from us. Most of the time, they simply ask us to notice.
We may not always notice those moments unless we make space for them, or at least put ourselves in a position where they have a chance to find us.
We all need time to refresh and rejuvenate our souls. Not because we’re weak, but because we’re human.
This week, give yourself permission to pause. The dishes will wait. The emails will still be there. The laundry isn’t going anywhere. But the conversation with your child, the walk at sunset, the laugh you didn’t expect, or the moment that reminds you God is near… those are the moments worth slowing down for.
Taking time to notice them isn’t selfish. It’s one of the best gifts we can give ourselves and the people we love.
You deserve that.
Not eventually.
Now.
We invite you to follow along as our Practice the Pause series continues throughout the year. Each reflection offers a unique perspective, and you never know when a few thoughtful words might be exactly what you need. We hope you’ll take a moment to pause with us by reading each reflection here and on our Facebook page.
