Breathe, Stretch, Pause

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”

-Mark Twain

I talk a lot. And fast. Sometimes I talk faster than I can think. Many people who know me offline know that when I get nervous, I talk extremely quickly with no pauses, like a fast forwarded VHS tape. Have you ever seen those Bing commercials when someone says a word, and the other person just starts spouting off everything about that word? Yeah, that's me when I'm nervous. I'll start off with one train of thought, then it derails onto something else. That's how wonderful things in life happen sometimes. That's how Pink Brass Knuckles, PBK Bartending, and some other things (that will be revealed later) have come into fruction. Other times, a trainwreck.

For example, relationships. I've been noticing that microwaved relationships are somewhat of a trend. What ever happened to courting before commitment? Although I don't believe in socially-contructed timelines for relationships, I do believe that people should know more about the person that they like before jumping into a relationshipwith them. Back in high school, I would talk to a guy on the phone for a few weeks before becoming his girlfriend. We'll be broken up by the following week. When you're an adolescent, you believe that everything has to happen quickly. You gotta call dibs on that person before they get snatched up by someone else, right? False. Stop rushing things. Pause and get to know this person. If things are meant to be, then they will be.

Another example is life. As a person who loves to explore all of my talents, I'm also learning that life needs pauses also. As much as I'd like to enjoy all of this youth and swagnificence (lmao), and post how “the turn up was so real” the other night, I can't. I'm focused on so much that I simply don't have the energy to do it all. Pausing doesn't always mean standing still or stopping; it can mean redirecting your focus. Currently, my focus is passing this fucking, gosh-darned CSET. Although I'm sacrificing drinking and going out for the next three months, it's completely worth it.

As Mark Twain said, a rightly timed pause is effective. Realizing that you can't live life off a series of 5-Hour Evergy Drinks is one of the most important things you can ever do. Don't burn yourself out early in life.

♥P.