As we walk, always in a forward momentum, looking down at our feet, we forget where we’ve come from and what exactly surrounds us. When the Universe tells us or forces us to halt, we now have the opportunity to see. Our feet are frozen in place, there is no way to budge them, no where to move. Do we get angry and playback scenarios in our minds or do we start to look around at what was missed along the way? Being forced to stop is one of those gifts that isn’t always seen as such by the receiver. One of those gifts that you want to toss to the side and ask the giver why they ever thought it was a good idea....but all gifts from the Universe are a good idea and the way we choose to use the gift indicates what kind of receiver we will be. To be able to take a deep breath and look up and see where you are, where you’ve come from and where it is you are going takes a conscious effort and a bit of practice. No worries, when you can’t move there’s plenty of time to practice. Is the path you’ve chosen still the right one? Have the seasons come and gone and you didn’t even notice? Is the river you walk along high or low? Are the birds fluttering and chirping in the trees? What is it you forgot to see while you were looking down and barreling straight ahead? Pause is a gift and a great one at that. Pause invites us to look around, look ahead, look behind, reflect, rest and go inward. We get antsy with this gift, we want desperately to move forward, we want to do anything but stand still and look, but this gift will be gone once more and did we get from it all that it had to offer? Nothing can be stagnant forever. Even rocks erode away. When the ice melts and you are on your way again, remember to look around you on your journey, raise your head high and let what surrounds you influence the path choices you make in the moment.