HOW DOES THE BOOK OF YOUR DAY READ?

So is this picture like your day?

How would your favourite book go someone crept in overnight and stole all the punctuation? How much sense would it make to you?

Words weave incredible pictures. But on their own, and without the gaps and breaths that we feed in with punctuation, they make no sense.

Similarly, Eric Clapton once said of his guitar solos that it was not the notes, but it was the gaps between the notes that made the solos so engaging.

Looking at both examples, it is in the pauses and gaps that sense and meaning is created.

This is all very interesting to observe, but what does this tell us of our days, of our lives.

Well our lives need punctuation too. Our brain needs down time to process and make sense. Though in practice, how often do we find ourselves bouncing from one demand, to some distraction, and then on to somewhere else. 

Or at work from meeting to meeting, or telephone to email to meeting etc. Basically demand without release.

Streams of words without punctuation. If we cannot rationalise or make sense then there is stress.

We need to find ways to punctuate our days. To give our brains space to process, to make sense and to calm. This does not have to be long.

It does not have to be a new chapter, or even a paragraph. Sometimes just a comma. A short pause, taking a breath, shifting our posture, moving to some other place. Something to take the edge of the demand.

Think about your story each day. Is it making sense? If not, then where do you need to insert some breaks.

Sense coalesces in the spaces between things. The time to make that sense in our lives is a choice.

(Credit to Dr Seuss, The Cat in the Hat)