Space...

The space between stimulus and response.
I want to be more careful.
I want to be more nurturing and purposeful.
I want to be more thoughtful with what I say, how I respond.

Buddha like!

What comes out my mouth is sometimes, I must admit, a surprise. Not so much at work, more at home.
Not so much when things are ok, steady or safe. More when things are teetering, wobbly or emotional.
Something happens, usually a comment from a loved one, potentially loaded, or at least something triggering.
And before you can say Jack Robinson, it is out there, words; words that usually take the situation further into the abyss.

But there is an opportunity, perhaps.
There is the potential to pause, to interject in that space that exists between the stimulus and response.
To slow it down, and to respond with a more thought out set of syllables. A sentence or two that would assist rather than defend.
Practice is what is required here, there is no doubt. It is unlikely that I will be able to pause, where no pause has been before.
For the pause itself is a behaviour that must now be paired with the triggering, teasing taunt.
I must lean in and look for the opportunity to practice with curiosity.
Perhaps I just start with the pause. No retort, not yet, not until I have the pause nailed!
Space...