<\/strong>According to the disturbing article<\/a>, the rise of instant messaging has made it \u201cunnecessary\u201d to use a period to mark the end of a thought or statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life is just becoming one long run sentence\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yep, that sounds about right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Life is just a steady stream of information, pauses optional\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I feel that \u2013 and it concerns me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my most vivid childhood memories involves reading aloud for the first time in my new fourth grade classroom. After proudly completing my section, the teacher said I didn\u2019t pause long enough for the periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you see a period, take a breath,\u201d Ms. Murray instructed. \u201cOtherwise, it all runs together and doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling both embarrassed and enlightened, the lesson stuck with me indefinitely. Recently, while narrating the audio version of my new book<\/a> and the pre-order bonus gift<\/a>, I was especially mindful of periods \u2013 not just the ones at the end of sentences, but also the ones that appeared during<\/em> the recordings. <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In both sessions, the production team had at least one young man. While they were adjusting sound levels and overseeing the process, they were listening to the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am really intrigued by what you said about inner voice,\u201d one of them said as we reconvened after lunch. \u201cI think the technique you shared is really going to help me be less self-critical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While taking a short break during the recording of my pre-order bonus gift<\/a>, the sound engineer shared something similar about his struggle with self-doubt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you mind if I keep this?\u201d he said, pointing to the script I\u2019d given him to follow along. \u201cI\u2019d like to give this a try at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In both instances, we spent a good ten minutes talking about worthiness. Keep in mind, these discussions didn\u2019t happen after <\/em>the recordings wrapped up \u2013 they happened in the midst of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn't help but notice the comforting shift in the atmosphere of the room after the sound engineers had a chance to openly share their struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few years back, I befriended an elderly cashier during a meaningful checkout counter exchange at my local grocery store. She is retired now, and serious health issues have left her face permanently disfigured. For months, I\u2019d drop off baked goods, flowers, and cards at her front door, respecting her wish to wait until her scars healed to have a personal visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last time I dropped by, she opened the door a crack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you come visit with me, darling?\u201d my friend said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When she opened the door so I could come inside, I saw that her head was wrapped in bandages where part of her face had been removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook at me,\u201d she said, starting to cry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d I said, reaching for her hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My friend pulled me towards a small sitting area next to the front window. Judging by the worn blanket covering one of the chairs and the photos propped up beside it, this was her homebase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I listened as she described the ordeal she\u2019d been through and the dismal prognosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut you are here,\u201d she exclaimed, wrapping her small, weathered hands around mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The photo of her younger self was prominently displayed next to her chair, causing me to wonder what internal messages she was giving to herself these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you remember how we met?\u201d I blurted out. \u201cOn one of my hardest days, you came around the checkout counter and hugged me. And at one time or another, you did for all your customers,\u201d I reminded her. \u201cYour heart is one of the most beautiful hearts of anyone I know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh darling,\u201d she laughed, creating an unmistakable twinkle in her eye. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you what this means to me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n My 16-year-old daughter was getting ready for school the other day, and I checked in with her through the closed bedroom door. Her voice was stressed, and she was having trouble finding something she felt comfortable in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat can I do to help<\/em>?\u201d was met with \u201cnothing<\/em>,\u201d so I told her I\u2019d be downstairs if she thought of anything I could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she came down fifteen minutes later looking defeated, I asked if I could give her a hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She nodded, and once in my embrace, she stood there for several minutes just holding on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I held her until the tears eased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She exhaled. Fully exhaled. And then she explained what was bothering her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On my recent birthday, my friend and literary agent, Sandra, sent me a ladybug sun catcher. In my new book<\/a>, the ladybug holds special meaning, and Sandra wanted me to have a visual reminder of that significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of placing it in my window, I hung it on my car rearview mirror. When the sun is shining, I stay parked for a moment and give the strand of beads a gentle nudge. When it catches the light, my body is bathed in a hundred little golden dots. I name three things I am grateful for and somehow always feel better when I start the car.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n a break in the frenzy of our ever-turning world <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n an acknowledgment of our human need to connect our dots<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n a pushback in the glorification of burnout and breath holding<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am not a fan of football, but I happened to be watching the Bengals play the Bills when Damar Hamlin collapsed<\/a> on the field. I watched in awe as the game stopped, the world stopped, to send him blessings and well wishes. It was the first time in NFL history that a game started, was postponed, and never resumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the more I think about it now, I think maybe that article<\/a> is wrong; maybe the period is not becoming obsolete\u2014not if we keep fighting for the pauses that honor our humanity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Opportunities to breathe are here, right under our noses, in our kitchens, in our conversations, in our bodies, in our pastimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you see a period, take a breath,\u201d my teacher once said. \u201cOtherwise, everything runs together and doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a reason I have not forgotten this lesson. I believe it was planted all those years ago to bloom at a time such as this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is just a period \u2013 but it can make all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My friends, I am delighted to share the audio version of Soul Shift<\/a> that made such an impression on the sound engineer is now available wherever you buy your audio books, including Audible<\/a>. Also, the pre-order bonus gift<\/a> that the production assistant took home with him is also available as part of the Self-Compassion Starter Kit. This kit is FREE with the pre-order of Soul Shift<\/a> and includes an 8\u2019\u2019 X 10\u2019\u2019 hand-lettered affirmation poster custom designed by JZ Lettering and a 20-piece collection of soundtracks to Practice Being Kind to Yourself, written and narrated by me. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply go to the Soul Shift book page<\/a> and input your name and receipt number in the form. If you have not yet had a chance to pre-order, you will find a list of retailers there \u2013 everything from independent bookstores to large retailers to signed copies!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Friends, the reason I poured so much time, heart, and energy into creating this bonus gift<\/a> is because those who pre-order my books are my people, and YOU make all the difference. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My hand in yours.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_5130-2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIn terms of our productivity, those were not ideal times to have deep conversations \u2013 but in terms of our humanity, they were perfect<\/strong>. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It was just a period, but it made all the difference. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DSC_0276-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIt was just a period, but it made all the difference.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It was just a period, but it made all the difference. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_5258-scaled.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIt is just a period but it makes all the difference\u2014<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are opportunities right here, right now, to put punctuation back into our everyday lives. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2-5.png\")