The Spaces Between

New Years day I wasn’t feeling too great and so I stayed in most of the day with my family. We were watching this tv show and there was a guy who was talking about the space between things giving him room to think. He paralleled how in a song the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. When I heard those words, the last 4 months of my life flashed before my eyes & I understood just what he meant.

Since Sept I’ve been in the space between things. With this Lyme Disease, the pain, paralysis, & exaustion, I’ve felt like my life has been put on pause. I haven’t been able to live life fully. I’ve not been able to pour into friendships like I love to, or create the things I want to create, I’ve had to stay in more than I like, skip concerts & gatherings, even simple lunch dates. It’s been a slowing down, reflecting, breathing in, somedays it feels like I’ve stopped completely. It sounds depressing I know, but I’ve come to understand the beauty, value & even the need of this space between things.

In music, life, the words we speak, the work we do, without a space between, there would be non stop noise, chaos, no room for thoughts about this very moment we are in or pausing to reflect on what has been or even anticipate what’s next. There’s something about a pause, when you have to wait for what’s coming and embrace the stillness of the moment you are in right now, that makes whatever's next all the more special & beautiful. Everything suffers without a space between.

This upcoming year if you find yourself in a pause, when things seem to be on hold, breathe it in & know you are better for it. Don’t rush it away, I assure you the busy, whirlwind of life will find you once again and when it does you may actually find yourself craving that beautifully slow, wonderful, necessary space between things. If life never gives you that pause you may need to go out & create it yourself. Either way, in life this year look for the spaces between & see the beauty & value they bring to most everything.