A Pause

Most mornings I stick in my EarPods (the old fashioned kind) and head out for a 2-mile walk, plenty of time to listen to a few more chapters of the next mystery on my list. I usually pick a mystery or suspense novel because it keeps me guessing, eager to pick up the next morning where I left off.  Sometimes I'll listen as I clean, cook or putter, but it doesn't feel the same. Part of my mind still needs to focus on the task at hand; but when walking, it's just the story and me, except for the occasional dog or crosswalk. 
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I recently updated to a new iPhone. The first morning after my purchase, I scooped it off the table, grabbed my EarPods and proceeded to connect them as usual. But, as I should have guessed, they were not compatible.  (Apple does this on purpose, you know.)
What was I to do without a narrator to keep me company; nothing to fill my ears and fuel my imagination? Just the fact that I was asking this question was not a good sign.

For the next 45 minutes or so, I followed one of my usual routes across the pedestrian bridge to the Hendrix College campus, feeling somewhat lonely, if one can feel lonely without a device. Again, not a good sign.

​​​I crisscrossed the sidewalks, beneath the shade of leafy oaks, past a quintette of fountains, red brick buildings waiting for students to return, flower beds overflowing with color, a koi pond with koi too timid to make an appearance, and the labyrinth, waking up in the early morning sunshine.

I sat on one of the benches along  the perimeter of the labyrinth, soaking in the scenes through which I had just passed. Free from competing distractions, my ears welcomed  sounds of  birds, cars, a passing train, fellow walkers in conversation – my own breath. 

The following two days, I walked in different directions, towards downtown Conway (Arkansas) then the local nature preserve, each time with the intention to pay attention.   
Retracing my steps home, I wondered, "Can I recall at least 5 things I just saw, heard or felt?" A straightforward question, but the answer would have been debatable on mornings when I was absorbed in a storyline; but when unplugged, there was no doubt. Not only could I remember details of the world around me, but many of my internal thoughts as well. Being the journaling person I am, I found a small, blank notebook in my desk and started 
writing..."5 or More Things I Noticed on my Walk."  

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My compatible EarPods have arrived, and I've resumed the heroine's search for clues to the murder, but not every morning. A Pause, uninvited and initially unappreciated, has created a change in my routine. I now listen to a book 3 days a week, leave my phone behind for 3 days, and have that second cup of coffee on day 7.  

                                                   A Pause...an opportunity for intention