One. More. Turn.

One. More. Turn.

This phrase is common among serious strategy game players, as well as many who passionately love video games. I know it all too well. Oh boy, do I. But why did I choose it as my blog title? I think because it means several things to me.

Technically, it came from the video game world. I think the forum communities of one of the Civilization series of video games is actually attributed with coining it. It simply is used to express that feeling of amazement and ambition to play that new and/or fantastic video game for just *that* much longer. Normally it is muttered to oneself as a means of stalling before having to move onto another task. Sometimes to stall sleep. And in rare cases, to stall sleep until the wee hours of the morning. The game is so engrossing and/or exciting that surely there is time for just... One. More. Turn.

It reminds me of being a small boy at the arcade with my father and begging him for "Just one more quarter!" before we left. Some of my fondest memories were at the arcade as a kid. Specifically, at Malibu arcade with my dad on a Friday night. And I remember thinking that if I could just hang onto that last life or that last token then I could make the magic last all night. One. More. Quarter.

Syntactically, the phrase resembles the name of the Daft Punk track "One More Time". And that is a wonderful dance anthem celebrating any moment or experience that is worth celebrating. It's a song about holding onto that awesome moment and celebrating it for as long as you can. As I live through more winters I cherish those moments. One. More. Time.

Emotionally, the phrase stirs up the same type of feelings as the lyrics do from "One More Night" by Maroon 5. Waiting for that next turn can sometimes be as satisfying as holding onto your lover for just one more moment before letting go. Because leaving will be as bitter as the sweet was together. One. More. Night.

Scientifically, every successful beat of my heart is another win. Every moment I'm still living is a victory for me. Every spin about the axis of the Earth brings new opportunities and experiences and memories. Every revolution around the sun is another year of living.

One. More. Breath.
One. More. Minute.
One. More. Day.
One. More. Year.

One. More. Turn.