When time stands still

I've been a clock-watcher most of my life, probably because I operate best in a slow pace, which tends to make time fly by and my next obligation sneak up on me.

Yet to give people the respect they deserve, I've learned to relax into the moment so they don't get jolted by my desire to move on and feel unimportant. Usually this is a conscious effort on my part, but sometimes time stands still without my intending it to.

When we have a strong connection - the conversation hits a meaningful chord, goes into great depth or lifts my spirits, time stands still. This is when no longer does that ticking clock mean more to me than the current moment. What matters is the teachable moment at hand, or the refueling experience, or the calm.

When time stands still my soul is at peace. Or alive. When time stands still there is nothing in life more important.

Yesterday time stood still for me in a few occassions. I was visiting with a new business acquaintance, one I connected with quickly on first meeting. So I hardly looked at the time until she did - I knew she had clients scheduled to visit, so I honored that by preparing to leave. Yet she took the time to share what her passion was about her consulting work, and in that, she truly spoke to my soul. Sharing the story of how she had a piece of involvement in a young woman's success was very moving. The telling of it affected her, and while doing so, affected me. That moment was special.

Additionally, I have been rehearsing music for a Toledo band I'm enjoying involvement with. There is a song I suggested for it called Hallelujah, composed by Leonard Cohen. As I got familiar with the styles of many celebreties who have performed it (YouTube is so helpful!), I connected to the beauty and sorrow of the music. This brings me all the closer to it as I work through the lyrics, the rhythms, the chords and the melody.

I had interspersed my work of the music into the work of my coaching day, for it fuels each other. And that's when time stands still, allowing very meaningful focus to fuel very important work. At least that's how I see it.

I look forward to making time stand still and even moreso to when someone else surprises me with it!