Last week I wrote about Victor Frankl’s quote where he references, “Between stimulus and response there is space.” It continues to inspire me.
How often do we already know what we want to say before the other person is done talking?
How often do we jump down another’s throat, pissed off about something someone has said, and yet we have not really heard them?
How often do we make a rash decision because we did not give ourselves the space to let the answer come to us?
Space.
One day this week, I had a cancellation and it gave me an hour of quiet. My son was engaged on the floor, deep in building a track for his trucks.
My brain was quiet. My frustration at bay. I felt at peace.
I had space at just the right moment.
I cleared out a zillion emails, reviewed my multiplying open Chrome tabs, organized my laptop desktop files, responded to a list of Slacks and scheduled meetings that have been on my list for weeks.
All in the space of an hour.
Sometimes we just need to give ourselves space.
It might mean we go for a walk or call a friend. It may mean you are clear and get caught up at work and clean up your house.
Whatever it may be, you know when you are taking the space, and when you are reacting, not listening to yourself or others, or checking a box.
You know the difference.
