Pause- My Word for 2017 and coffee

For a while now I've picked a word to concentrate on for the year. It gives me an anchor and helps me stay on track...well, for the most part. This year I had a really tough time coming up with a word that resonated with me and then I saw a quote on Pinterest about "The Pause" and immediately I knew that was my word. I've been using the "pause" a lot in my life. Most recently with all of this election, inauguration, and other happenings. I'm pausing a lot while I'm on Facebook...I'm not going to voice my opinion there and I'm not going to voice it here, either. I'm pausing and letting it go.

But one place where I'm practicing the pause is in the kitchen and I'm more than happy to talk about it here on my blog. I have been "practicing the pause" while I make my daily cup(s) of coffee. I threw out my old Mr. Coffee. Then I took a really big leap of faith and gave my precious Keurig to my son and his girlfriend. Why? Why, did I do this??? Because I now make my coffee using a Chemix and truth be told, I am deeply in love with this clever pour-over device...did I mention how much I love my Chemix?????

This is how I make my lovely brew of coffee. Gone is the coffee from a can. It has been replaced with fresh roasted beans that I grind every morning. I love the ritual of making my coffee. It takes time and there is actually a little bit of a method (science) to making a great Chemix of coffee. I watched several YouTube videos and have also been coached by my co-worker who should get most of the credit for swaying me to the Chemix. A good Chemix of coffee now takes me close to ten minutes from start to finish. During that time I pack my lunch, talk to the dogs, and enjoy the rich coffee smells that are released into the air from the grinder and then from the "bloom" of the first pour over the coffee grounds.

The bloom

 After waiting 30 seconds, I then practice the art of pouring smoothly and in a circular fashion until the water is about 1/2" below the rim...then I wait for it to drip down enough to start all over again. As I stand there watching this beautiful liquid catch in my Chemix, I practice "the pause" and am just in that moment of this simple act of making coffee. Maybe it sounds hokey, but I am very grateful to be able to make my coffee in this fashion. I savor it more. I buy coffee beans from my local coffee shop. I drink my coffee in a huge Gilmore Girl style mug (a gift from my kids) that came from a local coffee shop, The Raven. I relish every single drop before it even hits my tongue. I'm madly in love with my Chemix...don't tell my husband. But even more than that....I'm learning to "pause" and stop rushing, stop complaining, stop the anxiety, and I'm learning to pray, I'm learning to listen, I'm learning to be.

My Beloved Chemix

I'm out of practice!

It seems as if I forgot how to do this thing called blogging!! I see I had a few visitors but alas, I forgot to turn on the comments...I'll eventually get into the swing of things!!

Practicing the Pause

What a fitting title for this blog post, huh? Practicing the Pause? I've been on pause for well over three years when it comes to writing on  my blog. Wow....time moves fast when you're not stressing over book reviews or trying to come up with clever content to keep readers engaged. Somewhere, something has shifted for me...I can't put my finger on it, but the time feels right to just get back to documenting my life. So, here I am, ready to jump into 2017.

A lot of people I know often pick a word that they want to reflect upon for the year..and I'm no different. This time around though I'm going to be sharing my daily walk with my word...Pause. Why did I pick this word? Actually, this word picked me. I ran across this image about pausing and realized that I so needed to do more of that..pausing...before I spoke, before I reacted, before I did most anything. My emotions and my heart rule my head and many times it gets me into some sort of trouble. When I feel passionate about something I just go with it and oftentimes I regret things that come rolling out of my mouth. The biggest problem I face is my anxiety....it has a way of holding me hostage for hours, minutes, seconds,,,,,and sometimes days. All of that time spent worrying about things that I truly have no control over and for what????? I'm a work in process...this blog is a work in process...but I feel ready to write again about life, crap, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We all have our demons and many things have inspired me to start to face mine. I feel like this year is going to be about peeling back my layers a little at a time...for now I'm going to pause (it's getting late and I'm ready for bed)....Hello, 2017.