A Space to Pause is a recent piece I made using pieces of wood I have saved over the years. Some of the wood i have been using have come from old weathered boards from pallets that came from a farm. Some were gifted, like the Wormy Chestnut. This one has wood from old floor boards that came from our current house that we have been renovating ourselves since 2020. Look at that grain! So beautiful.
I’ve been thinking a lot about pausing. Pausing before I have an overly emotional reaction to something. Pausing the constant doing. Pausing the scrolling. Pausing an app dominated world. I have always been pretty firm on the boundaries of my time. Trying to get adequate studio time while raising a family will do that. Now that my kids are older I am able to do more than I could before. But does that mean I should? I really like my alone time. I kind of feel like an anomaly in this world.
In our mid 20s we adopted a dog that I still miss so much to this day. He was a rescue and had some socialization issues. There was a part of him that really loved being around people. But there was a part of him that was not really keen on it. When we would have people over, he would stay in the room with everyone, but sit in the middle of the room with his back turned to everyone. It was really obvious and hilarious. He was my soulmate dog.
Lately I have also been thinking more and more of moving out into the country. Quiet. A space to pause. t won’t happen anytime soon as my daughter is still in high school. But I’m envisioning it.
The other night we drove out to this place that is out in the country on a farm where they make their own ice cream form the milk of their cows. We sat eating our ice cream at the edge before the pastureland started. There were a few small trees and bushes dividing the two areas. The sun was setting and I was watching the Red-Winged Blackbirds fly around and perch atop the branches of the small trees as I enjoyed my ice cream cone. I was so glad to have taken the time at the end of a hectic week to pause and sit and watch and hear the day ending out under the setting sky and among the birds.