Your Weekly Soul Pause
A few moments each week to return to your Spiritual Heart, nourish your Soul Cup, and let your Inner Sparkle shine.
Hello Beautiful Soul,
What do you want to experience with the time you have left?
That’s a pretty big question, isn’t it? I’ve been pondering it lately, and I haven’t been able to let it go. Maybe it’s because I recently turned sixty.
Yeah...there’s that number again.
Something about turning sixty has made me more aware of time. Not in a fearful way, but in a way that reminds me just how precious life is.
God only knows how much time I have left on this earth. Twenty years? Thirty? Forty? Wow! Wouldn’t that be something. I don’t know. None of us do. But what I do know is that I want to be more intentional about how I experience the time I have.
That realization has brought me back to a question that changed my life a couple of years ago. Around my 58th birthday, I was standing in the shower asking God:
What’s next for me?
And the answer I heard within was:
What is your dream?
That question woke something up inside me. It caused me to look at my life differently. To think about what I wanted. To listen more closely to my heart and soul. To become curious about what might still be possible for me. And so much has happened since then.
But lately, I’ve realized the question I’m asking has changed.
I’m not asking:
What is my dream?
I’m asking:
What do I want to experience with the time I have left on this earth?
There’s something about that question that feels different to me. Deeper. It’s not just about what I want to accomplish. It’s not about another goal to reach or something else to check off my list.
It’s about how I want to live.
How I want to feel. Who I want to spend my time with. What I want to see. Where I want to go, travel. What I want to create. How I want to love. How I want to serve. And who I want to be while I’m experiencing all of it.
So I opened my journal and started writing. At the top of the page, I wrote:
What do I want to experience with the time I have left on this earth?
And I started making a list. Some things are big, like owning a ranch with lots of acreage and animals. Some are small, like enjoying my morning ritual. Some are places I want to see and experience, like Italy, France, England, Ireland, and Greece. Others have nothing to do with going anywhere or accomplishing anything. They’re about experiencing my everyday life with more joy and fulfillment. More time with the people I love. More laughter. More meaningful conversations. More moments when I’m fully present instead of thinking about what I need to do next. More time doing work that feels meaningful to me. More connection with God. More joy. More freedom. More financial freedom to do all the things. More experiences that fill my Soul Cup and ignite my Inner Sparkle.
As I write my list, I’m realizing something else.
Living a life I love living doesn’t necessarily mean creating an entirely different life.
Maybe it’s about becoming more intentional with the life I already have. Paying attention to what matters to me now. Making more room for the people and experiences I love. Letting go of some of the things that don’t matter as much anymore. And allowing myself to want what I want without immediately asking whether it’s practical, productive, what it costs, or what someone else thinks I should want.
Maybe that’s part of why clearing the cobwebs last month mattered so much to me.
I became more aware of the guilt I’ve carried. The expectations. The need for approval. And the old versions of myself I was still trying to live up to.
Perhaps clearing some of those cobwebs has created more space for me to ask:
What do I want now?
Not what the woman I was twenty years ago wanted. Not what someone else wants for me. Not what I think I should want at sixty.
What do I want now?
I don’t have all the answers. My list isn’t finished. And I don’t think I want it to be.
I want to keep adding to it as I experience life, grow, change, and listen to what God is placing on my heart. Because maybe living a life I love living isn’t about having the next twenty years all figured out.
Maybe it’s about becoming more aware of the life I’m living right now. And choosing, whenever I can, to fill it with more of what matters.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about this too.
Perhaps you’re in your forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond. Wherever you are in your journey, maybe the question isn’t:
How much time do I have left?
Maybe it’s:
How do I want to experience the time I have?
That question feels very different to me. And I’m ready to keep exploring it.
Maybe you are too.
✨ Reflection
Take a moment and think about the season of life you’re in right now. Not where you thought you’d be. Not where you think you should be.
Where you are right now.
Then ask yourself:
What do I want to experience with the time I have left on this earth?
Don’t limit yourself to accomplishments, travel, or big dreams. Think about your everyday life too.
How do I want to feel?
Who do I want to spend more time with?
What brings me joy?
What do I want more of in my life?
What experiences have I been putting off?
What is my heart and soul asking for in this season?
And perhaps:
What might God be placing on my heart?
You don’t need to figure out how any of it will happen yet.
For now, just listen.
💜 Heartfelt Invitation
This week, I invite you to do what I’m doing. Open your journal or find a blank piece of paper and write at the top:
What I Want to Experience With the Time I Have Left
Then begin your list. Let it be yours. Big things. Little things. Places. People. Feelings. Dreams. Experiences. Ordinary moments you want more of.
Don’t edit yourself. Don’t ask whether something is realistic. Don’t worry about how you’re going to make it happen. And please don’t turn it into another list of things you have to accomplish.
This isn’t a to-do list.
It’s an invitation to listen to your heart and soul.
And if you feel inspired, share one thing from your list in the comments. I’d love to hear what you want to experience. Perhaps what you share will inspire another woman to think about what she wants too.
I’ll be making my list right alongside you.
✨ Soul Pause Blessing
May this week’s Soul Pause remind you of how precious the life God has given you truly is.
May you give yourself permission to listen to what your heart and soul are asking for in this season.
May God guide you toward the people, places, experiences, and moments that are meant to be part of your journey.
And may you become more intentional about living a life you love living, one precious day at a time.
With a grateful heart,
Bobbi 💜
Founder & CEO of Heart & Soul Publishing
You matter. Keep shining your Inner Sparkle. The world needs your light.
Love this reframe! How do we want to experience it! ❤️