Stuck in a moment

Over the weekend I watched an episode of Dr. Who, and there's one scene that stuck with me.

The land's emperor asked his doctor for the time. The doctor answers that it's 5:02 p.m. It also happens to be April 22, 2011. And it's this same date and time, day or night, every day. When the emperor questions why, the doctor says, "It's always been the same. Why should it start bothering me now?"

I'll tell you why. Because if you're stuck in the same date and time for eternity, it's just wrong. For god's sake, question it.

I know this is an extreme example, and sci-fi too, but we do it all the time.

We accept things that are just wrong.

We go to a dead-end job or return home to a douchebag partner or stay satisfied with our unhealthy habits every day. Why? Because it seems easier to stay in a bad place than to change.

Prying yourself out of that uncomfortable, bad place is hard. It took me more than three years to get the nerve to leave my ex - and I'm not a timid person. I know now that if I had stayed, I would've been a physical, emotional and mental basket case. Or dead.

I found it easier to start small and then plan. First you have to fully commit to yourself that you're going to change your job, your guy or whatever. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks - only you. Then get things in order and start making it happen one step at a time.

In that Dr. Who episode, all of history was happening at once. Pterodactyls flew around a park while modern kids played. Roman Centurions guarded streets filled with cars. And futuristic villains were after the good guys. Think about whichever rotten situation you need to change and imagine if every awful thing about it happened in one day. In one moment. Like a needle stuck on a record as they said in the show.

That picture might be enough to make you want to get unstuck.

Love to the single girls,
Addison