Making Space

We’re now almost two weeks into the new year and it’s starting to sink in that this year is not all that different from 2021. Same job, same commitments to church and family, same routine day in and day out. Already, I have had to remind myself of my “word of the year” multiple times. I have canceled my plans of going to the gym three times; I have called in sick to work twice; I have dragged myself out of bed the other days, wishing I could stay curled up where it is cozy and dark. I have felt overwhelmed by all the things I need to do (or think I need to do) each day. I wonder, When will this rollercoaster ever end?

I felt really done at the end of 2021. Not just because of how 2021 treated us all. It was more of a soul-tired, bone-tired feeling. I recognized the signs of burn-out: lack of motivation, fatigue, snappishness, and withdrawing from friends and family. And now, after all the hype of Christmas and New Years’ celebrations (as they were), I don’t find myself any more energized.

I know I’m not the only one. So let me share my “word of the year:” 

Space. 

More specifically, “Make space.”

Okay fine, it’s a phrase, not a word. It was that or “slow” (meaning “slow down” and I liked space better).

Space. 

Space to dream,

Space to breathe,

Space to act and do,

Space to listen,

Space to feel,

Space to be,

Space to laugh,

Space to cry,

Space to move,

Space to rest,

Space to love,

Space to welcome,

Space to learn,

Space to write,

Space to create,

Space to teach,

Space to be courageous.

In all things, to allow space to touch my heart and soul, to transform me, and to touch others. It’s the sense of roominess - spreading your arms wide and allowing yourself to flail around a bit, knowing you are safe to do so. That’s okay, you won’t knock anything over.

Making space means I am taking a whole pile of things off my plate. It is hard work! (The laws of inertia somehow don’t apply to my schedule; events and appointments keep piling up magically.) It means saying “No.” Yeesh, that’s a hard word. It means being secure enough in who you are in your calling to keep plugging away even when it doesn’t make sense to others. 

Maybe you’re in a different place than I am, and that is okay, too. But if this resonates with you, then how might you make space in your life?

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