Back

Pausing | Day 80 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Mar 21, 2023· 2 minutes

We just spent 24 hours in a village I don’t even know the name of.

It is sometimes emotionally complicated to stop. I remember someone said: “Vacation is doing something you are not usually doing.” Now we do not do vacations, but sometimes we do pause.

And it is confronting.

When we paused in the unnamed village near Bologne, the weather changed for the much better, and our van was parked right next to a piece of grass with flowers. We spend the day enjoying the sun while working a bit, answering emails, writing stuff, organizing the van, repairing stuff, and studying.

But first, we had to ask ourselves what to do when we were not busy sightseeing. The change was somewhat emotionally overwhelming. There are so many things to do in this category of “normal little things” it seems overwhelming to begin with. Nails to cut. Yoga to do. Things to fix. Books to read. Music to play.

We did enjoy our van and the simple life in and around it, accomplished 3 percent of the many little things, and went for a walk in the afternoon. The second-hand shop could have had some T-shirts we needed, but it did not, and it did not matter. The church was beautiful, the sunset alike, and the water living animal, I don’t know the name of in English, was exciting and made us smile. Any walk is a good walk.

Negotiating what to do next, cooking dinner, calling friends, and doing some more work. We feel we could use 25 days like this, but we know we can not do it.

We have to see what is around the next corner. We can not sit still. We can only pause briefly.

pausing-article

Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

# 80 of my 2023 writing challenge - Read them all here

Education and learning is an intrinsic element of human life, can not be stopped, and institutions are not necessary for children to get good educati…Read more
We left a wonderful lifestyle in a beautiful city to get an adventurous lifestyle based on traveling, unschooling, community, and our open hearts to …Read more
So, we unschool. We believe in personal growth and educating yourself. Education should be voluntary and self-directed. Motivation is the key factor…Read more
From personal freedom grows independent persons. Children need the right to pursue their own path in life. Read more
We do not act on fear. But we listen. Fear can be a good signal, an alarm bell, so we can listen to it and asks: what do I need to learn here? Read more
I am often met by the notion, the idea: "I am lucky to have this kind of life" - It is not luck. I have chosen to stay in the light! Read more
5 years ago I missed my family – I felt detached, came home late from work, and felt cheated of my kid’s childhood. Are you ever tired of going to wo…Read more
We need to find a new kind of life, a better balance for everyone. I believe in personal freedom for everyone. And in true and humble respect for the…Read more
Choosing is scary, whereas dreaming is liberating and wonderful. Setting a date converted dreaming into planning. 1 month later we bought a bus, 9 mo…Read more