Posted in A Moment in My Life

“The Domino Effect”

A Moment in My Life – Tuesday, September 8, 2020

I’ve known probably most of my life that rest along with nourishment and water are essential to my well-being. I knew from an early age that if I waited too long to eat, my fatigue caused me to lose my voice and strength. When I finally ate, I fell asleep while my body recharged on the fuel it received. That factor, I caught on fast.

The necessity for sleep took longer—years longer before it impacted me enough to take notice. Even then, it was hard to remember as I go, go, go. I’ve had a couple of friends call me the energizer bunny. Mark used to point out that I go until I run out of gas. True. All true. 

Do you ever get so busy in your zone that you don’t want to stop until you finished the task? Have you ever gotten into bad habits such as staying up too late and not getting enough sleep? How about not eating meals on time or waiting too long to eat? Then, not making the right food choices? That’s me—all of it. I tend to get into a funk when I have too much on my plate. It becomes a domino effect. I’m sure all of you busy people know what I mean. It’s a lesson I am continually learning. 

The last couple of weeks were crazy hectic ones for me, compiled with a lack of a good night’s rest plus all those vices I mentioned; I fell into a list of bads. Bad mood, bad decision-making, bad perspective, bad responses, and bad reactions to the simplest things. The domino effect was the catalyst into depression, which spiraled into a self-pity party. It’s interesting, but it usually seems when I’m in a funk like this one, that’s when I get invitations from friends even in quarantine! In a funk, I don’t want to be around people. Every little thing becomes an annoyance like the helicopter’s unceasing whirling hovering above, pushing my buttons. How long does it take a helicopter to fly by anyway? Everything cuts into my nerves like a newly sharpened knife. My words on paper become harsher, carrying the weight of my wounds, either real or imaginary. At that point, neither mattered. They had the same impact.

The interesting part is that you don’t know any of this until you get a good night’s rest and come out of it. For me, it takes more than one night before I get out of my rut. This time, it took me three nights. Then, suddenly, my eyes opened with a brightened mind and spirits. That’s when I saw the road I came off of and recognized the damage it did to me, and the damage I did in response, i.e., the domino effect. 

With a clear mind and refreshed spirits, I made a promise to myself to try, which is all I can do to maintain good life habits. I will strive to get a solid night’s sleep every day and eat healthy foods regularly to avoid falling prey to the domino effect bads.

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