Tea With Starrlee Vol 8 🔵Permission to Pause: The Wisdom of the Circle

The first half of 2025 has been tough.

For me. For people I care about. For so many of us quietly carrying more than we show on the surface while still trying to move through life like everything’s fine.

This week the words of Bill G. Williams 🇨🇦 "Fine is not a feeling" have had me thinking about how we often imagine life as a straight line—always forward, always productive, always “on.” But the truth is, life isn’t a line at all.

Life is a circle.

A circle makes room for motion and stillness. For progress and pause. For the times when we are soaring…and the times when we just need to sit still and gather ourselves.

What I'm learning—slowly, sometimes painfully—is this:

• 👉 Pausing doesn't mean you're broken.
• 👉 Resting doesn't mean you're failing.
• 👉 Asking for help doesn't make you weak.

We don't lose our worth when we need to stop. We don't fall behind when we give ourselves time to heal, reflect, or just breathe. In fact, sometimes that pause is exactly what carries us forward in a more honest, human way.

So if this year, month, day, hour, has felt heavy or hard—if you’re tired, uncertain, or worn down—please hear this:

• 👉 You have permission to pause.
• 👉 You have permission to not be okay.
• 👉 You are not alone.

The next step will come when it’s time. The circle will carry you forward when you’re ready. And until then, it’s enough simply to rest in the waiting.

That's not weakness—it's wisdom.

If you needed this today, I hope it finds you.

#PermissionToPause #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #HumanFirst #Leadership