Cycles, Moods, Pause Power, and The Gambler

“You've got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table

There'll be time enough for counting

When the dealin's done.” – Don Schlitz, songwriter

Oh my goodness. Is there anything smarter than those lines anywhere? I am really not sure. I feel like that’s everything in a catchy tune. Keep going, don’t be a hothead, don’t assess until, well, until the game’s over. Keep going.

So basically when I sing this song in my head – which btw who isn’t singing right now? – Everything any sage has said is pretty much in there. It’s a keep going kind of message, but a keep going 2.0, or keep going in an advanced, informed, subtle kind of way. Play the hand you’re dealt.

Today the hand I’m dealt is, quite frankly, influenced by some cyclical stuff and I’m gonna take it easy. As a longtime proud feminist I’m not a fan of admitting that there is in fact a cyclical element to my moods, my appetites, and my ways of thinking. But there it is. Joker’s wild.

So today I’m folding. I’m going to do the minimum necessary to keep the ship going and I’m going to pause a lot throughout the day to re-center and reconnect to what’s real for me and what really matters for me: Being patient, tolerant, kind, and loving to myself and to others, being of service, not making a mess of my relationships, not beating myself up for being human and having high-energy, high-productivity days, and low ones too.

There’ll be time enough for counting when the dealing’s done. And it’s (hopefully) far from done for me. I’m gonna keep going.