I believe in the power of an intentional pause.
It doesn’t have to be a full stop; a deliberate yield can do wonders for the spirit.
Funny though. In all of the coaching and strategy work I’ve done this year, that’s the hardest thing to get people and organizations and even movements to do. We’re all kind of terrified to slow down. Most people tell me they’re afraid of what they may lose. I think what they really fear is what they might find. Stillness will let you know when you’re going in the wrong direction, at the wrong job, or with the wrong person. It begs you to put down good so you can carry great. That truth is not always easy to hear. It will force you to do things differently, and change isn’t always easy.
I know.
In the last four years I’ve moved, given birth to my youngest daughter at 45, left a dream job, started a dream business, supported my husband through a fatal cancer diagnosis, and encouraged him to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a visual artist, using every experience to write almost 100 pages towards my own creative work — a novel that challenges every facet of my brain. I know the discomfort that change brings and the faith it builds. Despite everything, life has never been sweeter.
I’ve spent most of this past weekend at The Hudgens Center for Art & Learning. Even with over 100 people admiring my husband’s work on the walls, I felt a sense of peace there. The gallery is surrounded by a tranquil sculpture garden and though you can’t see people in the studio creating more work, you know they’re there. I plan to go back soon and pause a bit to reflect on my own work and my life.
As the year closes, I challenge you to do the same. Yes, I’m biased. Columbus Cook is my husband, and his show “Awakening: The Evolution of an Artist” will be on display until February. The amazing director of the Center is Ife Williams, a gifted curator and artist who I had the good fortune of recruiting to Atlanta almost two decades ago. And yes, the Center does incredible workshops and programming for cancer and tumor patients, as well as caregivers, like me.
However, despite my bias, putting a pause on your year-end list and doing it at The Hudgens is an awesome idea. The Center focuses on healing. After a year of doing and running, shouldn’t we all do the same?
The Hudgens Center is located at the Infinite Energy Center (how poetic!)
6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy. Building 300
Duluth, GA 30097
The Center is open to the public Tuesday- Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
To schedule a group tour or retreat (highly recommended) call 770-623-6002
