My earphones ensured the outside world didn't intrude; they're not quite noise-cancelling but the volume made sure any noise from the café around me didn't reach my ears. This track was playing and my right forefinger tapped the saucer my coffee cup rested upon in time with the beat. My eyes closed occasionally as I let the smooth music mingle with my thoughts, single-minded thoughts of her...Always thoughts of her. I know, you won't get it but if you knew her you'd understand.
I leaned back on the chair; right arm resting on the table, left resting loose in my lap, legs extended and crossed at the ankles - Relaxed, but alert, always alert.
The world passed by and through my Oakleys I watched intermittently.
The waitress who brought my coffee had recently removed a ring from her finger, I could see the whiter skin - I wondered what that meant and then she moved away. A mother passing the café stopped to chastise her child for not keeping up then she hurried off with her designer shopping bags clutched in both hands. A man and woman walked into the café, they'd been arguing, I could tell. She looked exasperated, he angry, but they sat awaiting their coffee and then...He reached for her hand across the table, and she offered it. Maybe they weren't arguing after all, or maybe they were so together it just didn't matter; maybe each others touch transcended everything else.
I sipped my coffee and closed my eyes sinking back into the music...What I need, can you feel it, can you feel it baby. What need I think you got it baby...
I felt movement then a brush on my arm, the waitress reaching over for my now empty coffee cup. She said something I didn't hear so I pulled the headset from my ears almost screwing my face up at the cacophony of noise that assaulted me. Pushing my Oakleys up so as not to seem rude I replied. Sorry, I didn't hear you. I smiled my poor excuse for a smile by way of apology.
No worries. You look a million miles away. Another coffee? She raised an eyebrow in question as she spoke, just the one, and smiled back. Her eyes were the blue-green of a mountain lake and her smile just as nice.
I nodded, yeah, that'd be great, same thank you, I said flicking my eyes to the empty cup she held.
Her smile broadened, coming right up, she said then turned and walked away. I blocked the world out again with my headset...I just wanted to get lost in the moment, the music and a whole bunch of pleasant thoughts about another set of eyes and the beautiful woman they belonged to...The music took me there and my eyes closed once more...What I need, can you feel it, can you feel it baby. What need I think you got it baby...
This was today. I'd left work early feeling like I needed a break; it wasn't that I'd had a hard or long day or a really bad one either...I was simply drained, emotionally. It's probably a by-product of lack of sleep, my often deep emotions and thoughts and some writing I'd done over the last couple days that, whilst beautiful, had stretched me thin. Emotionally.
Sometimes life does that and it's important to gap it, to pause. I call it detachment.
It's like a battlefield commander will do in a combat situation where better decisions save lives and bad ones take them; he will turn his back on the fight, find a brief moment of clarity, make a decision then get back on it; call in artillery fire or close air support, deploy troops and so on. That's the sort of break I was taking.
I just need to tell my brain to stop, or slow down at least, and as I sat there watching life, absorbed in tunes and ignoring my phone it did. It didn't matter where I took my break, just that I took it; a café at the east end of Rundle Street in the city would do - decent coffee was abundant, and a sliver of cake too. My mind didn't stop, it never does...But it slowed to the beat of the music and that's enough for me.
I don't know what you do to find little gaps like I found today; I hike, do repetitive actions like making ammunition, read and listen to music among other things. That small detachment is often what I need, that moment of turning my back on the fight, finding centre, a little peace of mind to then turn back to it and deploy.
So...Indulge me and tell me...What's your break?
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Discord: galenkp#9209
She was totally into you!! STRUMPET
I am not sure which of you aI am calling the strumpet. :oD
Lol...Strumpet. Such a legit word. I'm using that at work tomorrow for sure! It's been far too long since I busted out strumpet in a sentence.
Into me ya reckon? Maybe fluttering her eyelashes was all about making me order more coffee. Damn it! Worked too!
WTF..?
Oh nevermind... (presearched)
Src
Seen a strumpet a time or two in your day I bet. 😉
They used to knock on the doors all night...
Not so much anymore. But then again, I do not eat in that kind of cafe' heheh...
Juss Kidding...
I no longer
sleep arounddam spell correct... I no longer sleep in town. I stay away from the hell known as "big city life." I avoid it like the plague it is.Sounds like you had a great day.
When I need a break from my life, I would sit in the balcony. And listen to the music for hours in the evening. And be lost in the sunset and then in the dark.
I will try to not think about anything at all for hours. Just enjoy the random music.
And when it is night, my mind will be clear and calm. And I would often find solution to most of my problems.
Last year, I spent a few months in another city(Bangalore). Where I lived, there was a road with pink trees(don't know the name) and very few houses/ less traffic.
Something like this, but with less houses, less traffic and a lot more trees.
In the evening, I would walk for an hour or so over there. Sit on the side bench. Be lost in the nature. And that would be my daily dose of break in the beauty of trees.
Now, where I live, there aren't many trees but I can enjoy the sunset almost daily while listening to the audiobooks.
It sounds like you've your detachment-process all worked out. You always seem like a centred sort of chap so I guess it's working.
I like to slow down sometimes; a lot really. I think life is too short to go at full-tilt all the time...I'm a simple man, need simple things, and I find them.
When I was an angsty teenager, the only thing that would do would be to get lost in the music.
Older, wiser? I hunt down the consumer of those thoughts and take them to coffee. Say what I have dreamed of saying and be done with it. I never do it when the scab is fresh, but, only after enough time has passed to give perspective to both sides of the coin.
Lastly? Meditate. I can't tell you what that has done for me. It's almost magic.
This is smart, and the be done with it part clearly indicates your mental strength. Alas, I'm not that strong methinks. Still, yesterday was nice, a break I needed. I've got a lot going on at work and none of it really pleasant, my usual noggin thoughts and all as well. My coffee interlude was welcome. Different to a basic coffee at a cafe. Deeper than that.
I'm not good at meditating Denise. Makes me feel all weird. Probably I need a meditation guide. I'm a blunt instrument so maybe I don't have the ability?
I know I said that wrong! be done with it has nothing to do with mental strength. When it comes to affairs of the heart, I think that it takes time to get it all sorted. I am not in the position of making an educated guess, but, if the fat lady hasn't sung yet, you better get her up on stage. Not knowing if it was left finished or you have to finish business makes a difference. Sometimes we have to leave our heart out of it and look at it without emotions. That is probably what got you in trouble in the first place.
It took me years to be able to meditate. It felt fake and forced and it wasn't working. I did get someone to guide me and believe it or not, he was in China and, later I had one in Thailand. How weird, yes?
We are all both complex and simple depending upon the situation and I am no different. I'm a very strong man Denise, in some aspects it is abundantly clear and yet at other times I am a fool - Romantic fool I'll go as far as saying. I'm also not one to capitulate easily, that has kept me safe in times of duress and whilst it's also put me in unpleasant situations I am glad I don't fall in a heap - Although it's happened I guess. Being hard as fuck can be good, but I'm everything else too...It's what makes me the man I am and despite being a fucken knucklehead, I'm a good man mostly.
Anyway, the blockchain isn't the place for me to open up too much, it's not my style. Suffice it to say that it's not a matter of what got me into trouble. It's complex, but could be so simple.
Riddles I guess, and therefore difficult to know what to say probably. But that's the good thing about friends, sometimes sage aren't required, just friendship.
You can look at my page to see how much I open up on the blockchain. So not my style. I recognize a romantic fool, although clearly, and nothing is ever simple, especially when it seems so.
Agreed. No words really needed.
Lol...And I'm its antitheses in truth.
:))
Everyone can use a break from time to time. I don't take enough of them but I do try to take some.
Break time is good. We all do it differently of course, but for me it often involves coffee, music and people watching. Sometimes I go shooting, culling at the farm, with no intention of shooting anything...Just hanging out with nature. That works for me too.
Draw 😆
I’m the type that will “waste” precious minutes hand colouring flats because that repetitive motion smooths out brain glitches.
Also animate but as I can’t do that till I’ve built everything near enough is good enough for now.
Sounds like you had a nice little break, managed to get your thoughts together enough to get back to whatever you were getting a break from?
I know so many people that colour in for relaxation and detachment which I think is cool; that repetitive motion, almost mindless but somehow soothing. Drawing is the same I guess, for those who can.
Just breaking from work Ry...Been shite lately I guess.
There is an ending in sight for you though right :S
Yeah, it ebbs and flows. Work is like that and current realities are on the change. There will always be ups and downs and with the downs I manage them with breaks like this. Little gaps.
A long stretch of highway, preferably straight, not all twisted and deadly like todays. very few or no other vehicles.
Pulling a good paying light load.
That lightens my mood/day. But that is few and far between.
Like the lines of your post, that I am hopelessly stuck reading between.
It takes me back to 2010, and makes me think... Maybe there is a little black kitten, a Merlin, like Samantha Jo that would fix everything that is upside down right now.
Then I look over and see what changed everything 11 years ago for us, when I was about to walk away...
Samantha Jo (7-14-21 6:16 EST)
She will always be that kitten...
Cats fix everything. I talk to Cleo more than any other human and she gives good cuddles. She was funny last night when I got home from culling. Wouldn't leave me alone. Sad right next to me at the table watching me eat grilled cheese in toast. Head-butting me. Little rascal. I liked it though. Cats are good healers.
I hope you find straight roads and light loads.
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