“We are showered everyday with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back.” – Braiding Sweetgrass 2013, Robin Wall Kimmerer
On 27 March 2026, the Prince Bernhard Gym at Saint Louis University’s Main Campus was filled with curious anticipation. Amid the tables set up with items that were let go by the Louisian employees, waiting to be adopted, the community gathered for the annual Day of Pause. This year’s theme, “Circularity: letting things go and passing them on”, invited a significant act and premise: we have to let go, in order to let in something new.
At the core of this year’s Day of Pause is the concept of bartering, the direct exchange of goods without money, highlighting the serendipitous “coincidences of wants.” Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and the CICM Advocacy of environmental sustainability, this system breathes new life into items freely given, and wheels in a mechanism of giving and receiving. The event allowed employees who paused and let go of an item to go around the display and pick out one item they wanted to bring home, regardless of how many items they gave.
Mr. Jeremy Lee Dela Cruz, Human Resource Department Director, set the tone to the day’s meaningful day of reflection and gratitude saying, “Prior to this morning’s event, we were all invited to pause, to reflect on what we have, and to let go of what we no longer need. Now, we will allow these things to become meaningful to others. In this way, we are able to celebrate not only sustainability and generosity, but also our shared humanity and gratitude.”
The moment deepened through the prayer led by Marie Ellami S. Refuerzo, Director of the Center for Counseling and Wellness: “We gather today as a Louisian community, moved by love – choosing to return what we have been given, embracing the truth that all things hold sacred worth, and finding peace and quiet sufficiency in ‘enough.’ May this Day of Pause, a Day of Circularity, teach us to live generously, cyclically, and with nothing lost. Give us hearts that know how to let go, to care, share, and further one another and the earth.”
Through the opening remarks, Atty. Shellah Yzanne Merced, Vice President for Administration, traced the event’s roots back four years. “The vision was clear: to make SLU a safe space for all of us not only to flourish professionally, but also to live a balanced life that gives premium to our wellbeing and wellness,” she recalled. This year’s focus on circularity embodied the ethos of letting go of something held dear so someone else could claim it – a distinct practice that fosters shared well-being (SDG 3). “In a way, we cater to the ‘coincidence of wants,’ where people possess exactly what another needs,” Atty. Merced explained.
“Circularity is an exhale of sorts. Today, we inhale—to choose an item we need from those given by our fellow Louisian employees. It’s in this exhale and inhale that we let abundance flow, learning to let go and receive freely,” she said.
Shortly after, Justine S. Latawan, Talged Center Assistant, led the SLU Gratitude Pause, a ritual of appreciation for the community’s shared past, present, and future. Through three prompts paired with gestures, Louisian employees first placed hands on their hearts, looked down at the ground, and said thanks for all that had happened and all who had come before. They then looked around to thank everyone they presently held dear. Finally, looking up at the “sky,” they expressed gratitude to the Lord and to all that would come after.
After these symbolic reminiscences the employees present took turns to roam the displays freely, picking out one item they wanted to bring home. Through a ritual of letting go, giving and receiving, the community exhaled abundance and inhaled newness and renewed value.
As artist Lance Winn reflects, with respect to Foucault, “The things we make reflect our beliefs about the world; the things around us affect the way that we understand the world. There is an unending circularity to this that implies less a circle and more a kind of wheel moving.”
As the gym emptied with lighter hearts and hands, SLU’s Day of Pause reminded everyone that true abundance thrives in circularity, a motion prompted by the art of letting go to let in something new.
