“La clave es vivir sin prisa, pero sin pausa.” (The key is to live without hurry, but also without pause).

My friend Greg Petitti shared this thought on his Facebook page today. It  had me pondering the meaning since it seems paradoxical. As someone who has lived her life in hurry mode, or as one friend described it, “like you are running around 100 mph with your hair on fire,” I question what it would be like to really take pause. Opportunities to do so have presented themselves in the form of meditation, yoga, time in nature or just sitting in silence by myself or with others with whom it is comfortable. When I am in that sacred space, I can re-evaluate my life and determine if I am on the path that will take me where I most want to be.

When I asked him what it meant and how it was possible to accomplish both things, his two word answer was, “with joy,” to which I replied, “I can do that.”  It is something that I engage in every day. I call it living a joy drenched life. Maybe the re-frame means not pausing in the action of joy; because I have come to see it as a verb; just like love.

Since I experienced a major life shakeup wake-up two years ago, I recognize how in the past, I did indeed put my life on pause; not fully living my joy, even though (good actor that I can be at times) it would seem to others who observed me, that I did. The truth is, for many years, I sleep walked through life, on auto pilot. I thought I was being spontaneous, when in fact, I was relinquishing responsibility for my own happiness. I let others and their opinions be the arbiter of my reality, instead of claiming my own truth.  I tiptoed through my days, fearful of setting off landmines; some I had planted and others tossed by others.

How do I actively engage in a life without pause?

Last night, I attended Greg’s 55th birthday party and was delighted to be part of the overlapping soul circles that comprise his world. One of his roles in my life is challenger of my thinking, stretcher of my comfort zones who calls me on my stuff when I play it too safe. He dares me to reveal the real. Such a mixed blessing at times.

This morning, I headed down Rte 95 to the Philadelphia International Airport to pick up Phyllis Klaper who has been a Facebook friend for five years. A few weeks ago, she tossed out the idea of coming up from South Florida to my neck of the woods and, with delight (and not pause), I said a hardy (and heart-y) YES! In the past few hours, we rambled on about life, the Universe and everything. With many of the same perspectives on life, we found ourselves laughing at some of the absurdities of our thoughts and the ways in which our mischievous monkey minds trick us into believing that certain things are true, when they are just NOT.

The next few days I will be immersed in music at the XPoNential Music Festival in Camden, New Jersey that is hosted by WXPN. Sunshine, cool breeze off the Delaware River, familiar faces of old friends and new folks coming into my life, singing, dancing and basking in the awe of it all.

On Monday, I will traipse into Philadelphia during the DNC to offer FREE Hugs to willing recipients as a Hugmobster Armed With Love. This will be an experience of a lifetime, as my intention is help defuse tensions that politics can induce.  Who knows how many lives this will touch.

And I will do it all, ‘con gioia’. Thanks, Greg, for the reminder.