Unplug. Pause. Re-plug

Years ago, frustrated with computer software that was not working, I went to the company’s tech support department for help. The answer was, “Pull the plug on the computer. Pause for a minute. Then plug it back in.” And this worked!  How could there be such a simple solution for such a complex device? 

Apparently, electronic devices have capacitors which contain temporary data that had frozen the device. There is something essential that takes place in the capacitor after the plug has been pulled. The “pause” provided a release of energy that had blocked its functioning. Re-plugging the device refreshed it, and it operated normally. 

It dawned on me that this basic troubleshooting might be a method to deal with other problems. But how would that work?  What would it mean to “pull the plug” on different problems?  Then “pause.” What would that entail?

I find out during mud season. It is easy to veer off course, even to get stuck in the mud during spring in rural New Hampshire. Passing the CLOSED sign on a dirt road, I think, “I can handle this.” I drive confidently for more than a mile until my car sinks into the earth. The car is not moving forward. The wheels are spinning slowly with my foot on the accelerator. In a moment of peril, all my senses tell me to “pull the plug.” I stop. Shut off the motor. Get out of the car. Pause. Fully take things in. The wheels are half-way into the mud. The undercarriage is almost resting on the mud. This is serious. 

 ... the “pause” seemed to make all the difference.

With adrenaline flooding my body, I take deep breaths. Take everything in: Is there an effective way to proceed? Can I manage without having to call for a tow truck? A relaxed vigilance arises that is focused and energized throughout my body. No panic. All my senses are present. My body and my brain assess the situation: get back into the car, plug back in, start the engine, straighten the wheels, try reversing the car ever so slowly. My foot on the accelerator is sensitive and cautious. Are the wheels spinning again? No. The car is moving slightly backward. It feels like a small miracle; the “pause” seemed to make all the difference.

In the course of daily life, I regularly get “stuck” in smaller ways, externally and internally. Something is not working as I hoped or intended. The world has not operating in accordance with my thinking or to my expectations. My haste in wanting to get things done quickly—moving forward with blinders on—is often not effective. It is rare that I realize a need to “pull the plug.” I receive no warning—getting stuck in the mud—and I may just quit and move on, not knowing how to solve the problem. 

I have reflected on what it means for me to get stuck. What I have come to see is the narrowness of my approach to life. More often my head-brain thinks it needs to solve a problem, thinking “I know.” I tend to lean on what looks like an easy solution. Thoughts move quickly to imagine completion without an assessment of what interim steps may be involved. I have not been fully present within myself.

My attitude of being right will keep me from having any notion of letting go.

Sometimes I have an immediate emotional reaction as to how to meet a situation. Leaning on a strong feeling—"Oh yes, this is how to proceed”—can get me stuck.  Being one-sided is the issue; whereas the body, the mind, and the feeling functions—when attentive together—can bring a more balanced, three-centered intelligence.

It is unusual to see the need to release, to step back. What prevents me from pulling the plug when I am stuck?  My attitude of being right will keep me from having any notion of letting go. At other times, I automatically react, push back, or argue, rather than step back, pause.

What does it take to pull the plug?  It requires an inkling of being stuck. In a very practical sense, I see the need to “change gears.” I see the necessity to step back. Something different is called for in myself. Shifting attention to another function within myself, taking a walk, getting some exercise, or having a cup of tea can be forms of unplugging. I have sensed my imbalanced nature. Who or what in me senses this imbalance? 

What does “pause” mean? As with the capacitor in the computer, pausing brings a cleansing, a clearing of a blockage, a release of tension. Pausing has allowed for a shift in my center of gravity from a stuck thought or emotion to an opening to presence. In an active, relaxed body, my thinking and feeling functions are more alert and poised. There is a quiet assessment, an internal questioning that may be beyond words, a more impartial seeing without “shoulds.”

... pausing brings a cleansing, a clearing of a blockage, a release of tension. Pausing can have a larger place in my life so that stuck-ness can be reduced.

What is re-plugging? Having paused, I am ready to proceed with a fresh approach. It is a re-engaging in practical life. What will emerge? Being open to seeing what is needed, rather than wanting to get things done quickly. My functions are more balanced with a degree of presence. There is an element of “not knowing” with openness.

My personality and experience have been sculpted to “get by and get ahead” in life, yet this embedded approach is limited when compared to the reality of what is possible. Remembering to unplug and then to pause brings a different quality of energy, and I find myself more present. When I return—plug back in—sensation of myself has changed. Impressions of the world around me enter in a new way, yet they do not overtake me.

While I can acknowledge that the necessity for unplugging is waiting for me on a regular basis, I also see that the effort to be more present within my body, my feelings, and my thinking may reduce the frequency of getting stuck. “Pause” can have a larger place in my life so that stuck-ness can be reduced. This study is ongoing.