The Holy Pause: You Don’t Need a Vacation to Find Peace
We often treat peace like a remote destination—an island we can reach only after a long flight or a hard-earned retirement. We imagine that if we could just escape the "wind tunnel" of our 48,000+ daily thoughts, we would finally find rest. But peace isn’t waiting for you in a different zip code. It is a quiet reality waiting beneath the noise of your busy life. You don’t need to escape your responsibilities to find it; you only need to pause.
Stillness is the "gateway to Spirit," the literal force that gives our bodies life and power. When we flip the switch and turn off the internal wind tunnel, the meaningless scraps of worry settle, and we find ourselves standing on holy ground right where we are. This is the work of each moment. By enabling hourly reminders in the Practicing Presence App, we can create small, sacred pauses in a crowded day.
When that reminder chimes, take three deep, intentional breaths. Use this time to ask yourself:
When I am at peace, do I know why?
When I am not at peace, do I know why?
And if I’ve lost my way, do I know how to return?
As Jim Heaney reminds us in Choosing Presence,“At any moment in the day, we have a choice: inner chaos or inner peace.”
Choose the breath. Choose the pause. Choose the reality of God’s presence now.
Choosing Presence is an Illuman Partner Program.
Brian Mueller – Poet, Community Organizer, and Spiritual Guide
Brian Mueller is a poet and community organizer based in Dayton, Ohio. He serves as Director of Education & Engagement for ChoosingPresence.org and is an active member of the Ohio Chapter of Illuman, where he co-leads writing retreats that support men’s spiritual journeys. As a writer, Brian is known for his candid, accessible poetry, with works including Cock‑A‑Doodle‑Doo: 100 Morning Haiku, the Poem of the Day series, and the Bull Series. Inspired by poets like Rumi and Mary Oliver, he believes everyone carries the voice of a poet within.
