The Gift of Space "People Over Packing"
Reflections on Space and Priorities
The Beacon Training and Life Coaching Growth Matrix has four key elements:
Increased Self-Awareness
Alignment of Values
The Gift of Space
Owning Decisions
This post is about the third: The Gift of Space.
The Great Purge... and the Greater Realization
As we prepared to move out of the home we lived in for the past 20 years, we tried to simplify our possessions. Susan made countless trips to Goodwill, Ditto (a resale store), and the local recycling center to donate or get rid of much of our "stuff."
Yet, we somehow still have so much stuff!
We’ve literally gotten rid of over a thousand books, and still have hundreds left.
We’ve spent countless hours packing, unpacking, loading, cleaning, and juggling it all alongside work, family, and relationships.
A Moment That Shifted Everything
A few weeks ago we went out to dinner with friends who couldn’t believe we made the time.
Susan responded with something that stayed with all of us:
"People over packing."
So simple. So profound.
Space to Breathe. Space to Be.
The "things" in life matter little compared to the relationships we’ve been blessed to build.
Yes, the packing will get done. But not at the cost of losing sight of one of our most important values — being present with the people we love.
In our family, and in our spiritual community, we’ve made it a practice to create space for others. It’s part of our “Rule of Life,” where the category of Relationships has always been key.
I haven’t always done it perfectly, but I know how vital it is. And I’m committed to getting better.
Create Margin. Protect What Matters.
“Many people spend their time filling up their schedules, running from one 'have to' to another… and they wind up tired, unmotivated, and eventually burned out.”
Create space in your life for:
The things you love
What gives you life
What rekindles your passion and spirit
The people who matter most
Set boundaries around your time. Protect your ability to think, reflect, dream, and just be.
Choose “People over packing.” It is well worth it.
The Fire That Needs Space
I love this poem that Pete Scazzero has shared on many occasions. It captures this idea better than anything I could say:
“Fire” by Judy Brown
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
ogether, that make fire possible.
We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
Grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.
Reflection: Where Can You Create Space?
What do you think?
How does it make you feel?
Steven
