Stop, breathe and reflect

I’m reading the new Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, Carrie Soto is Back, and so much is resonating with me.

Carrie was the number one ranked female tennis player in the 80s. Six years after retiring, and at the age of 37, she decides to come out of retirement to reclaim her record after a rival player matches her twenty Slam titles.

Months into her comeback she reflects on how, when she was playing professionally the first time around, she didn’t delight enough in her accomplishments. She would win and then move on to the next challenge.

She reminds herself that she needs to stop – in the middle of the chaos – to take in the world around her. To smell the sunscreen and the rubber of the ball. To feel the breeze and the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Often in life we are so busy chasing our goals that we forget to stop and just breathe.

To stop and reflect on what we have achieved.

To pause in gratitude for the seemingly inconsequential things that help make our lives memorable.

To really notice the familiar sights, sounds and smells that are so often taken for granted.

What have you noticed today that delights you?