A reminder to pause … and then keep going

PauseThenKeepGoing

This week I shared this remarkable post on my Facebook page.

The author of the post got a semi-colon tattooed on her wrist in order to start useful conversations around depression (something which, for her, is an everyday reality), and also:

“as a promise to myself that I would never willingly end my sentence.”

As she notes:

“A semi-colon is a place in a sentence where the author has the decision to stop with a period, but chooses not to. A semi-colon is a reminder to pause and then keep going.”

Wow. I will never look at a semi-colon the same ever again.

I’ve been at the place the author has. A place where I had to make the decision to keep going. So I can see exactly how the semi-colon can be a hugely powerful totem for those whom it is a daily battle to keep their feet here on earth.

But, now that I am far beyond that point in my life; now that I’ve found my way to living A Life Less Frantic, I can see how the semi-colon is a powerful reminder for this way of life as well.

If there is an act I do daily, an act that underlines all my philosophies around living a less frantic life, it is ensuring I take the time to consciously PAUSE (and breathe)… and then keep going.

Now, I’m super-conscious of borrowing someone else’s powerful symbolism for my own needs. But up to this point in my life, I’ve never once considered getting a tattoo.

I am totally considering it now however.

Do you have a symbol or an item you use as a reminder or a mantra for your life?