Wisdom Found In The Pause-Joie’s Gift…Book Review

I just finished reading Wisdom Found In The Pause Joie’s Gift by Barbara Techel.  This book was about quieting your mind to find your path in life as we go through transition, It is Barbara’s story about losing her beloved dachshund Joie so soon after she adopted her and the following soul searching she needed to do to not only deal with her grief, but to find a new purpose in her life.

I have know the author for many years since we went to College together for the same Associates Degree,  We lost track of each other for many years, but through the magic of Facebook were reconnected.  I found the path she took since those years fascinating.  Her work with her special needs dogs and the fact that she was an accomplished writer was an instant draw.  I read her first book, a memoir, Through Frankie’s Eyes in one sitting and could really connect with all that she had gone through to get where she was now. Through her blog, her book, attending a SoulCollage workshop she facilitated, and conversations with her I have been inspired to not only write myself, but find purpose and more meaning in the second half of my life.

As many of you know, I have been through a ton of changes the last few months.  My daughter’s leaving home for College for the first year, my husband retiring from his regular construction job to pursue his other business, losing my job after my company closed, and finding and starting a new job as a rural mail carrier have set me on a whirlwind of emotions.  As I read Barbara’s book I couldn’t help but feel many parallels to her story.

Barbara decided after Joie’s passing to take a sabbatical from writing and her other pursuits to search for the answer on what to do next.  What followed was a path inward to stillness to let herself be open for the answers she was looking for.  So many times in life we spend our time rushing from one thing to the next and never take the time to be quiet and listen to what our soul is telling us.  The answers eventually show up in one way or the other as Barbara found out.  Her journey is one filled with insight and hope for those of us who are lost and need to find a way back to a more fulfilling life.

Many times while reading this memoir I had goosebumps just from the sheer thought that “oh my goodness, this is what’s happening to me”  I now know after reading Wisdom In The Pause, I too have the tools to figure out my next direction.  Mostly I have decided to take the time to be still and let the answers come to me.  I take comfort in knowing that this process can take a long time and it isn’t something you can figure out tomorrow or even next week.  After all we are always growing and changing with life circumstances and in the end isn’t that a good thing rather to be stagnant and unhappy with life.  What kind of life would we have if we never face any changes?

This book is for anyone who is in search for a fulfilling life.  Not only does it resonate with animal lovers, but to anyone who is forced to face big challenges in life and pursue what the next step is.

Thank you to Barbara for putting so much emotion into your writing!  You have helped to inspire me to keep writing more than you will ever know!