Don't Forget to Breathe

It's 4:39a as I draft this, typing quietly on my phone while I stay thermally cocooned under the covers.  I don't want to disturb Travis or Leroy with even the lowest of technology's light, because it's still obnoxious in a desertedly dark room.  Travis is hinting at snoring, I hear puppy's small breaths near my left ear; I'm appreciative today for having a few days off.  The heavy cotton over my head affords a slight barrier against the stirs of early morning traffic, heard in the distance.  I wish the earths rotation matched my own current speed.  My head suggests the puppy alarm clock is a more reasonable time to cultivate these unrelenting thoughts onto pixelated paper.  Although, it's 8am somewhere... em I write? {ba da dum}

A few months back I bought a website for an idea that felt under-explored.  But before chunking down the cash for the domain and private registration, I poked around the internet to confirm suspicions that nobody was catering to what I could provide.  And to clarify, it's not a product per se, although I guess it could be someday.  Not thinking about that right now - the goal is to bring my offering to others, through writing, in the hopes you are entertained.  I know, thanks for stopping by cousin vague.

Around 3am this morning, I woke up alert.  Puppy was snuggly asleep by my side on the couch, which is where we snooze if Travis is out.  In my mind I sat straight up, sitcom style; in reality, it was eyes closed, pondering for at least 5 minutes before gently rising to pick up my laptop.  What popped into my head was that maybe I never created an email or Twitter or any other social media junk for my thing!  Holy fuck - taken?  Or did I and forgots?

I opened the laptop, hit the downward glowy button to 1, and started the process.  A few key punches later and I let out a phew of relief... all is well.  Name secured on all the places to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coincidentally, earlier in the evening I read an article on the frequency to which people view their product as unique.  And how the often overlooked google search usually proves otherwise.  But it goes on to say you should want to find someone doing it, because then you can ask yourself are they doing it better / worse, does yours solve a missed opportunity?  Should I invest money, time.  I gorge on said information because it helps me make better decisions regarding my interests.  So despite its emphasis on patents & trademarks, I thought why not run my thing via this model and see what shakes out. 

The most basic of questions needed answering: Did I miss the window of opportunity to be the first?  Miss the recognition?  Miss my chance to be heard?  Miss my chance to make a difference?

Search 1: several pages in - nothing.

Search 2: the suggestions - not even close.

Search 3: this one persons' entry - nada.

Then as I'm deleting some letters leading into Search 4, I see it.  almost missing these squinting eyes...

My thing.
Written by someone else.
     {{{sinking}}}

I saw every opportunity I'd been developing start to run away, laughing, teasing as if to say oh you thought you were the only one?
Air hadn't passed my lungs in several minutes.
I exhaled what little breath was left and forced myself to read the entries before me.
I had to know what I was up against.

[breathe, yo]

It was only similar.
KINDA!
SORTA!!
CARTWHEELS!!!
CUE FLASHPOTS!!!!

The site was ordinary, clunky, no clear definition for why I should be reading... I found my excitement levels rising to a point normally reserved for the daytime.  I clicked entry after entry, hoping (not hoping) to see the words I wanted to say; never found them.  Occasionally a concept would be related, but overall, the message they were sharing was not my own.  Travis & I discussed my perception will be totally different from theirs, and different from the future, and different from the person I ask questions to.

X, Y, Z ≠ X, 2, 3.

Our sites can co-exist together on the information superhighway! And that's swell.