Yeah, yeah, the twitch reflex, I know, as primitive and deep as reflexes go.   Something surprises you from the periphery: flinch!  True, and a good practice, to err on the side of caution, good for survival.

But I am thinking about the times I feel hurried, and twitchy, and, moving quickly, sometimes stumble, when what I need to do is take a moment to pause, breathe, gather poise, realize that five or ten seconds are better spent doing this than starting to sprint with a shoelace untied.  

An important thing I was reminded of yesterday, as I delivered well-thought out remarks in a rushed and not well-thought out way.   A lot was going on, I had many things on my mind, the stakes in some ways were high– all the more reason to remember:  take a moment to take it all in, smile, pause.  Being gracious enough can often be lost when rushing, as it was yesterday.  Be gracious, then breathe again.    

Then, be gracious.  Take a moment, smile, look around, breathe.  Then, after a human pause, be gracious.