We were fast movers. Our minds moved fast, so our bodies, systems, and interactions followed. But, it is no longer a shocker… the World has slowed the heck down. Like a lot! Even on the Island we felt the changes although we were already living relatively at a slow pace. Let’s face it, our lives have shifted. Yes, it has been rough at times. Yes, our business too has struggled. We’ve been feeling unsettled at times as well.. But again, we’ve managed to get our head out of that water. And not only that but we’ve come to realize what it is that has allowed us to bounce back. It’s not that intricate. It is indeed very simple… we’ve been practicing the art of pausing - individually and as a business.

We’ve been taking the time to pause which sometimes consisted (and still does) of taking a few  minutes to reflect before actually making a decision. Sometimes it’s time spent reading a book (we recommend this one), or taking 3 deep breaths (another good book to help), or sometimes it’s longer halts ; a weekend off grid camping or a few easy days enjoying surfing at home. Whatever form and length, we’ve been practicing the art of pausing. Not only does pausing allow us to recharge our energy and freshness of thought to move forward, but it also allows  us to keep our groove and creativity going.

The ability to introduce intermissions in our lives is an art that has brought us the opportunity to genuinely start embracing to the fullest this rhythm that almost feels like every morning is like a Sunday morning one. Whether it’s in-between sentences talking to a friend, before making a decision, before eating a bite, the afternoon coffee break, we have found that stopping allowed for mindfulness. For the most part, pausing has allowed  our bodies, minds, and souls to take the time to bring their essences back onto the present moment to fully grasp every minute of it, and let go of our tumultuous train of thoughts .

It is easy to get sucked back into life-as-usual. Oftentimes we get caught up in doing lots of things. We are no mindfulness savvy here but if there’s one thing we’ve come to realize is that pausing allows for restoring our strengths, and thoughts. We’ve personally come to see ‘lots of beauty emerging from the in-between-moments once we’ve started taking the time to slow down . Slower mornings. Extra cups of guilt-free coffee. Book absorption. Chats with loved ones. Longer walks. Those simple moments we’re getting to love to embrace.

"You should implement pauses. Short ones and long ones." From the book Do Pause | Photo by Cristina Gareau from Nanou Studios

A big part of that was to be able to stop  and realize that we're not a to-do list and accept that this very same list might never end, and that’s okay. Kind of like taking a conscious moment to come back to ourselves at certain points in the day when it feels  like we are getting sidetracked constantly doing something. Being busy is a somewhat oddly overused term nowadays, often valued as good for some reasons. How about being “busy” pausing so you can reset to move into being productive modes instead? A little blog post about this other interesting subject from a creative agency we love here.

With summer being right around the corner, waves are getting nicer, air a little warmer and days longer. While that does ring true, this wave of changes does bring along the following reality: this upcoming summer’s rhythm already feels different than what Tofino was used to. It is human nature to try to control our destiny but right now, we are going with the flow. So let’s take the time to pause, to breathe, and bring in this Sunday Mornings Kind of Feeling along throughout EVERY morning.

Let’s sit back, PAUSE, observe before taking onto the road - to consciously respond to situations rather than react out of habit. 

For that, here are some of Merge’s tips:  

• Put aside the never ending to-do list. A time to stop and breath, and;
• Focus on creating space to feel reinvigorated again and avoid filling your daily agenda

That should allow situations, moments and conversations (where you have no control over) to unfold as they want. 

On this… let’s pause!!