Navigating This Thing Called Life: Prince, Punctuation, and Transition
June is African-American Music Month. And if you know anything about music, you are, no doubt, aware of the great American singer-songwriter, musical innovator, actor, multi-instrumentalist, philanthropist, dancer and record producer gifted to this world as Prince Rogers Nelson.
As a child, he went by Skipper. Over the course of his life, he referred to himself using several different monikers: Paisley Park, Alexander Nevermind, Prince, The Purple One, TAFKAP, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, The Love Symbol, The Artist Formally Known as The Artist Formally Known as Prince… Oh, let’s not forget that there was Prince again, and a few other pseudonyms. This post, believe it or not, isn’t about Prince—or music. It is, however, about something Prince always seemed to be in--transition.
In his 1984 hit song Let’s Go Crazy, Prince opened with these forever memorable words, “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” If you are reading this, then by default, you qualify as a player in this thing we call “life.” As part of this life thing, you’ve undoubtedly, at some point, encountered transition. Maybe it was an awesome change, or maybe it left you feeling unsettled, numb, depressed and unsure.
Irrespective of the cause, transition in life is inevitable and the hard ones, are, well, hard to deal with! The toughest part of a not-so-great transition is sometimes the way it shows up; that initial announcement that it has arrived in your life. It just happens and now you are left to deal with a major plot twist in your book of life.
Fortunately for us, regardless of the plot, good books usually have something in common that we often overlook – punctuation. They help us navigate transitions, whether that’s between sentences, plot twists, or chapters, punctuation adds emphasis to the message being conveyed. Without punctuation, the transitions on a page would be difficult to navigate and understand. (Imsureyourenotusedtoreadingsomethinglikethisitsweirdright) Similarly, as we face transition in life, here are a few punctuation pointers to help make the journey easier to navigate:
THE PERIOD. A period is perhaps the easiest punctuation mark to master. In grammar, it ends a sentence. In our lives, however, it isn’t always so easy. For some reason humans have the hardest time letting go. Transition is all about learning to leave some things behind and moving on to embrace the new. Don’t be afraid to let go of any situation that is detracting value from your life in order to attain better for yourself and accomplish your goals.
THE COLON. A colon consists of two equally sized dots centered on the same vertical line and precedes an explanation, enumeration, or list. In the midst of transition, remember to count your blessings. It is natural to immediately fall into despair when faced with transition, but the key to survival is to re-educate your mind. Don’t become your experience. Make your experience fall in line with all the others that have brought you light and positivity.
THE ELLIPSIS. An ellipsis is a series of dots, usually three, that indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section of a text without altering its original meaning. As we encounter transition in life, some things are best left unsaid. There is no need to broadcast every detail of your life to the masses. Keep them guessing. Sometimes the best way to deal with life is taking personal time to reflect and deal with yourself and your situation—one-on-one without the opinion and interference of outside forces. Deal with (insert your name here) honestly—raw and uncensored.
THE COMMA. A comma indicates a pause between parts of a sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list. In times of transition, sometimes you need to need to pause in order to regroup and recharge. Take time to breath, ask questions (and wait for answers), participate in self-care rituals and reevaluate. Only then will you emerge refreshed, MotiRAYted, and ready to conquer. Commas are also used to mark the place of thousands in large numbers. Taking time to pause will always add value.
THE EXCLAMATION POINT. The exclamation point is usually used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or high volume and often marks the end of a sentence. Regardless of the transition you face or where you are in life, never forsake the opportunity to celebrate your victories, be fearless, and face your challenges head on. You have the power to accomplish whatever you set your mind to do.
And in the spirit of embracing transition, I leave you with the words of Prince in his 1991 song Cream (off the Diamonds and Pearls album), “Why should you wait any longer? Take a chance. It could only make you stronger. It’s your time!”
