When we get lost while driving, it’s common sense to pull over, reroute the GPS, and perhaps change course. When it comes to the course of our lives, however, we often take a very different approach. Each of us has an “internal GPS” – that still, small voice inside us guiding us to our best and highest good. But what if that small voice is begging us to slow down and re-evaluate our lives? If you’re like most people, you judge this as a waste of time or being lazy. In Wisdom Found in the Pause, Barbara Techel explores both the real-time beauty and long-term benefits of life’s transitional periods.
Wisdom Found in the Pause is the story of Joie, another paralyzed dachshund, who would serve as Barbara’s teacher, friend, and ultimately angel. Joie’s unexpected death would remind Barbara that the only way to really change our lives is from within. Along the way she received spiritual signposts – some subtle, some profound – that convinced her she was on the right path. Through this journey, she realized the most valuable gift we can give ourselves is the time to slow down, hear and heed our inner thoughts, for this is how we will welcome that sweet stillness of being, that wisdom found in the pause.
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What Others are Saying About Wisdom Found in the Pause
Wisdom Found in the Pause is a poignant and bittersweet story of the author’s journey through the short but memorable life of her beloved dachshund, Joie. As is characteristic of Techel’s writing, her deep compassion and openness to what her pets can teach her are evident in this story. Her writing is reminiscent of James Herriot’s heartwarming stories of animals.
Techel’s ability to explore her own vulnerability and motivations invited me into her world of caring for disable dachshunds. The love and joy she derives from her work are palpable and I found myself connecting to my own beloved pet, Max, in a deeper way.
When Joie suffers a catastrophic and terminal condition, it forces her to step back and reevaluate her life and her work. Still recovering from the loss of Frankie, a dachshund who was the impetus for her work with disabled pets, she takes us through her grieving process and gently leads us through her growing awareness of her need to slow down. In the process, Joie’s role in her spiritual growth unfolds.
This memoir reads like a meditative guide to life. The challenges faced and the lessons learned from Joie made a lasting impression on me. I feel enriched and inspired for having read it.
A heartwarming memoir with a powerful message about the lessons our pets can teach us.
~Kathleen Pooler, author of Ever Faithful to His Lead and Just the Way He Walked
I cannot tell you how much I needed to read this book right now! It has helped me to see that it is okay to be still and let the answers come to us. My life has been turned upside down the last few months and I have been struggling with which direction to go in. I went through a whole set of emotions, anger, guilt, fear, and dread, as I spent my summer, worried about where my life was headed. After reading Wisdom Found In The Pause I felt such a sense of relief that it was okay that I felt these things. I connected with Barb and all the things she went through after Joie’s passing. I am slowly taking the time to find where my life is headed.
If you are struggling with transition in your life or even if you have a need to pursue a more meaningful life, this is your book! This book will not only resonate with animal lovers, but with anyone seeking a more fulfilling life. Thank you, Barbara!
~Lori Helke, author of Beatrice the Little Camper Gets Rescued
We’re busy, and in our busyness, we sometimes lose our way and begin to find significance in what we do rather than who we are. Then, a pivotal event occurs that affects our chosen work and draws our attention to the fact that we’re out of balance. We try to push on, but find we’re traveling in a circle and return to the place that shook us and the lessons we missed. Finally, we realize we must simply be still, pay attention to the lessons before us, shore up our foundation, and perhaps adjust our course.
For Barbara Techel it was the sudden, and unexpected, death of her dear little dachshund named Joie that prompted her to step back into stillness. In Wisdom Found in the Pause, Techel takes us along as she gently navigates the waters of grief and overcommitment and takes a self-imposed sabbatical to heal and seek direction. She teaches us that pausing doesn’t mean stopping as she connects with, and draws on the wisdom of, trusted teachers and learns to listen to her heart again. Ultimately, in the stillness of rest, she finds peace, a renewed vision, and the strength she needs to step out again.
This is a book for anyone who understands the profound joy our animal companions bring to our lives. It’s also for those who find themselves in a tailspin of seeking significance by doing, reminding us that pausing amidst the cacophony is what allows us to hear the whisper of truth so we can stand strong and move ahead.
Like Techel, I have a shelf of books that contain nuggets of wisdom have helped me become unstuck in different seasons of my life; books I consider classics that I return to again and again. Wisdom Found in the Pause will take its place among these.
~Linda Hoye, author Two Hearts and Presence of Absence
What an amazing person Barbara Techel is! One who inspires all those she touches with her many bestselling books, articles, workshops, lectures, and media interviews. She is driven to help those in need. Among her amazing talents and accomplishments, Barbara leads the nation as an advocate for dogs in wheelchairs. She founded the National Walk’N Roll Dog Day and established The Frankie Wheelchair Fund which has granted wheelchairs to paralyzed dogs.
Her new book Wisdom Found in the Pause, Joie’s Gift gives us an insider’s look at her life as a writer with the ups and downs, the love she has for a special-needs dog, and the devastation of loss. What a gift that Barbara allows us to take the ride with her as she shares her amazing, inspirational, and often humorous experiences with her dachshund Joie.
There are times when we need to be inspired, to see life’s true purpose, and open our hearts to love again. In her book and through Joie, Barbara shows us the path to unconditional love, rocky as it may be, but always an adventure in discovering what is important. Read Wisdom Found in the Pause, Joie’s Gift, and be inspired with ways of giving back to life.
~Linda and Allen Anderson, authors and founders of Animal Animals
As the author of books about the human-animal bond, I’ve been blessed to meet hundreds of people who care greatly for animals–and Barbara Techel is truly one of the finest. Her new book, Wisdom Found in the Pause, details just what makes her bond so special, and her commitment to dachshunds with IVDD. Through love and loss, and joy and grief, a little dachshund named Joie helps Barbara better understand herself. And ultimately, she discovers when we truly devote ourselves to another, we learn that those we love will always be a part of us.
~Peggy Frezon, contributing editor of All Creatures magazine and author of books about the human-animal bond.