A Pause in Motion

I'm not going to lie. The last few weeks have been insanely busy. Really, the last few years, but especially the last few weeks. And it's all been good things like birthdays and holidays and retreats. But that can still wear you out if you don't find some time to be still and have some quiet.
Well, this Tuesday, I was blessed to be able to head back to my alma mater and speak to the Creative Writing Class and then have a book signing. It was an amazing day.
​But it also gave me a chance for some time to pause.

What am I talking about? How can I pause when I'm driving several hours and then going nonstop? Well, let me tell you. For one thing, instead of turning on music to keep me company on my drive, I turned off the radio, turned off the CDs, and only had my GPS to talk to me every now and then. Think that sounds boring? Well, not if you use it correctly.
Whenever something flitted through my head, I prayed about it. If a song happened to enter my thoughts, I sang it. Why not? I used that space of quiet time to get back in touch with God. And it was so good.
Then, I made sure my trip was planned in such a way that I got there early enough to attend their daily chapel service. Sitting with all those college students, listening to their voices lifted in praise (they sang songs I didn't know, but now want to learn), hearing a good message from the Word of God, it was the perfect way to jump into the busyness of the rest of the day. If there's one thing I miss most about my time at Freed-Hardeman, it was being able to attend all the chapels and devos and singings. I miss having that hyper focus on spending time growing closer to God.
Don't get me wrong. I still pray and spend time doing studies and worship services in my "adult" life, but it's just not the same. We let the craziness of our lives interrupt our quiet times. So, now, after this last Tuesday, I'm going to keep trying to find ways to pause even while I'm in motion. I want to look for those times when I can find ways to be quiet and spend a little more time with God instead of allowing myself to fall into all the distractions around me.
How about you? Do you have tips on how to find ways to "be still" even in the busyness of life?