31/10/2025
When You Don’t Have Time, Pause
In this busy world
you may not feel you have time to slow down.
Hours rush past,
a blur of noise and tasks,
and you tell yourself
that rest can wait.
When your thoughts are tangled,
when your breath feels shallow,
when the day presses hard against you,
pause.
When you don’t have time, that’s when you need it most, pause.
Even for a few moments.
Let your shoulders drop,
unclench your jaw,
and listen
to the quiet that still lives
beneath the noise.
You don’t have to step away for long.
Start with a single breath,
a sip of something warm.
Notice the morning light
filtering through the trees outside.
Feel the soft weight of a blanket
around your shoulders.
Simply be,
right here, right now.
These small pauses are enough.
They remind you
that life isn’t only about doing, achieving, or moving forward.
It’s about being,
breathing,
returning to yourself.
Slowing down
doesn’t mean falling behind.
It means meeting the day with presence,
carrying quiet steadiness
into everything you do.
Even a few moments
can reset the world inside you,
letting calm bloom quietly,
patiently,
in the simplicity of this moment.
~ ‘Whe You Don’t Have Time, Pause’ by Spirit of a Hippie
✍️ Mary Anne Byrne
~ Art by Heather Stillufsen
