A Fitting Definition Essay

THE GRACEFUL PAUSE

By: Robert Fulghum
Author of: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

One of the small-but-important changes across the course of my life is the development of buttons. The kind you push to make something happen. Once upon a time we had levers. Then came switches. Now it's buttons.

There's a lot of touch-screen technology happening, too. And soon, everything will be voice-activated. That's not really a new concept, though. When I was a kid much of my world was voice-activated. For example, when my father said, "Bobby Lee, get your skinny ass off the porch and mow the grass or you won't get your allowance," I was thereby activated. And my father was voice-activated when my mother said, "Lee, take out the garbage or I will dump it in your underwear drawer."

My favorite button is the one on my CD player marked "Random."
I also like the one marked "Normal" on the washing machine.
And the "Casual" button on the dryer.
Most of all I like the "Pause" button on several electronic devices.
If you push it, things are momentarily on hold - not stopped completely - just in suspended animation. Push it again and the action continues.

These would be nice buttons to have on the console of my life. "Random for surprise, "Normal" for secure predictability, "Casual" for relief on the uptight days, and "Pause" when the traffic of the day threatens sanity.

If I could give our new President-elect a power tool, I would provide him with these same buttons to use on a national and international scale - for the same purposes. Right now we need a big "Pause" button.

For Americans, our annual Thanksgiving holiday somewhat serves the purpose. Though historians disagree on the accuracy of the facts about the beginning of the custom, the present reality is clear. Thanksgiving means: Take a break. Close up shop. Spend time with friends and family. Eat. Sleep. Calm down. Pray. Or at least even think about the state of human affairs and your own. Get a grip on things. Breathe deep. Consider the long view.

The word "grace" applies in these circumstances. Grace is a prayer said at Thanksgiving. Grace is a matter of good will. Grace is an element of mercy.

Grace is generosity. Grace is gentleness in manner and movement. Grace is the spirit in which the Pause button is gently pushed. Slowly. Softly. Pause.