Sunday 21 November 2010

Sit and exist

Space. To fill it or find it?

I just finished reading an article about a columnist wanting to find space in her life. Space to reflect on phone calls, emails and even meditation. The columnist talks about people in her life who schedule 15 minutes in their diary after each appointment in order to sit back and reflect on what just happened. This provides space to reflect and decide what your next move.

Space is easy to create though right? I find it incredibly easy however my lifestyle is pretty streamlined. I don’t go to a gym; I enjoy walking my dog instead. I catch the bus to work; this provides me precious reading time. I don’t play competitive sports; instead I enjoy attending the odd yoga session. I’m a bit of a homebody really. I have a lot of time on my hands and this creates a lot of space in my life. Space to reflect. Space to exist. And space to research our next fertility move.

Surely some people would disagree that finding space is easy. Once you’ve got space, it’s a challenge to not fill it with wasted opportunities. I know plenty of people who waste space once they’ve got it. My husband is one of those people. His diary scares me. His days are full of appointments, phone calls, footy training, gym sessions. The poor man never has time to just sit and exist. I’ve sometimes forced him into cancelling engagements so he can relax at home. But my husband was born with ants in his pants. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word relax (unless it involves two weeks holiday and a pina colada). This has created many an argument between us. He thinks I don’t do enough and I think he does too much. It’s tough trying to find a space we can exist and be happy in. Together.

And then a moment is shared. It’s Sunday morning and we decide to grab a coffee and bacon and egg roll before walking along the beach with our pooch. We sit on park bench and fill our space with the smells of coffee, salty air and listen to the waves crashing. It’s our 15 minutes of unspoken bliss. Our spaces cross paths as we sit and exist.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think yes you are right that many of us do not 'relax'...in my understanding, it is being still...I am a restless soul too...and always buzzing around...I also need to learn the art of being still...