The Spaces In-Between

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the spaces in-between things.  In my quest to understand and achieve a simplied life, the spaces in-between may be a helpful clue. 

Early Saturday morning I was gardening, pulling up weeds and digging out those stray shoots that begin to encroach on the next plant.  I like to see the rich dark soil between the plantings.  Some perennials that had grown to double their size I cut back and others I  dug up completely and gave to my neighbour. I prefer planting in distinct clumps, not blending into one another in a helter-skelter fashion. 

I realized that this desire for space in-between in my garden is also true of other areas of my life.  For example, I find that in our home giving things some breathing space creates a more serene atmosphere.  From the amount of furniture, artwork and accessories in a room, to the way we handle storage in kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator, closets and bookcases, space makes a difference. 



Personaly, I prefer to open a kitchen cabinet and be able to see and reach the appropriate glass than to find all the glasses jam-packed together like concert goers in a mosh pit. Likewise for coat closets. On more than one occasion,  I have welcomed guests into my home, taken their coats and then discovered a) there are no empty coat hangers and b) I would need a crow-bar to wedge another coat into this closet.

For us, part of the solution has been deciding to live with less.  Quite honestly, we simply own less than a lot of people that we know.  We're not martyrs, we have just come to believe that we don't need to own most of what is advertised.  We plan our purchases and weigh the benefit to the "cost" of owning the item, including storage and maintenance.  We are seldom spontaneous when shopping and are much more likely to rationalize ourselves out of a purchase. 

Creating space in-between works in terms of our time, energy, money even our thinking.  It is helpful to building in "spaces" in your day when you can have a little down-time.  Coffee breaks and lunch hours were meant to give us some "space" in the workplace, yet they are hardly beneficial if we work through them, spend them with co-workers criticizing our employers and/or jobs, or fill them with errands and then hastily choke down a sandwich and a soft drink in the car. 

Is there somewhere you can go during your day to be alone?  A park, a path, a spot by the water?  We know a young father of four children.  He told us that sometimes he pulls into his  driveway after work and just takes a few minutes (a space) alone in his car to transition from work-mode to family-mode. 

Another aspect of creating space in our lives and homes goes back to the gardening analogy of weeding. Creating space requires a regular "weeding out".  Weeding is best done frequently and in small doses, otherwise it can become an enormously overwhelming job.  Weeding out the clothes, linens, appliances, tools, books we no longer use is essential to creating space.  Likewise, and much  more difficult, is a weeding out of activities, habits, relationships, financial patterns that no longer serve us well. 

Try to picture your life today as a garden.  At this present moment, how would you describe this garden of your life? Has it been nurtured and tended to?  Is there a healthy amount of space in your garden?  Are some plants overtaking the garden and need to be trimmed back a little? Maybe some weeds need to be pulled and discarded completely.  Is it generally neglected and needing some extra attention? Perhaps it is overly manicured and formal, not allowing your creative side to flourish.  It's your garden, you get to be the designer.  Just be sure to allow yourself some space in the garden of your life.








Thank you for taking the time to visit My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Have a beautiful day,
Sandra