The Importance of Space: Where Possibility Begins
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about space.
Not outer space, although I love that too. 💖
I mean the space between things.
The space between the in-breath and the out-breath.
The space between one thought and the next.
The space between a trigger and our response.
The space between objects in a room.
The space between you and me.
And the more I notice it, the more I realize:
Space is not empty. Space creates possibility.
We may have heard about focusing on the gaps between thoughts during meditation, or noticing the pause between the in-breath and the out-breath.
In mindfulness, we may intentionally shift our awareness away from the objects themselves and begin noticing the space around them.
And even in Feng Shui, space matters. When everything is cluttered and packed together, there is very little room for movement. Creating space allows the life force — the Chi — to flow more freely through our homes.
Lately, however, I have been experiencing this deeply also somewhere else:
in nature.🌳
Where I live now, there is a lot of space.
When I walk toward the woods and parks, I often meet only a few people. There are stretches where it is simply me, the trees, the plants, the sky, the Earth… and space.
And I have started noticing how much I love that feeling.
Sometimes there is quite a lot of space between a tree and me.
And then I walk toward it.
The space gets smaller and smaller until eventually I am standing beside the tree, talking to it, touching it, or giving it a hug. 💖
There is something beautiful about consciously noticing that distance change.
Because space gives us the possibility to choose whether we move closer, remain where we are, or move away.
And I started realizing how deeply this applies to our inner lives as well.
Space Creates Choice
Imagine somebody says something that triggers you.
Something happens inside your body immediately.
Maybe anger arises.
Maybe sadness.
Maybe fear.
An old wound gets activated.
When there is no space between that activation and what happens next, we tend to react.
The old program takes over.
But what happens when we create just a little bit of space?
We breathe.
We notice.
Oh. Something is happening inside me.
And suddenly there isn't only ONE possible reaction anymore.
There are many.
Maybe I speak.
Maybe I stay silent.
Maybe I ask a question.
Maybe I set a boundary.
Maybe I walk away.
Maybe I realize that what was triggered has very little to do with the person standing in front of me and a lot to do with something asking to be seen within myself.
Maybe I choose something I have never chosen before.
That little space has just created possibility.
And for me, this is where space becomes deeply connected to freedom and personal power.
Because freedom is not about controlling everything that happens around us.
Freedom is being able to consciously choose how we want to meet what happens.
The Space Between Thoughts
The same thing can happen with our thoughts.
We can become so identified with the constant stream of thinking that every thought feels like truth.
But then there is a gap.
Even if it lasts only for a moment.
And in that tiny gap, we can remember:
I am aware of this thought. I am the awareness.
Which means the thought is something I can observe.
I don't have to automatically become it.
And perhaps this is one of the reasons meditation, breathwork, walking in nature, creativity, journaling, and simply slowing down can be so powerful.
They help us create space.
Not necessarily because we need to get rid of our thoughts, emotions, or experiences. We incarnated to experience all of it!
But because space allows us to relate to them differently.
The Place of Endless Possibility
Spiritually, I experience this space as something even bigger.
For me, the gap is not nothingness.
It is what I like to call the place of endless possibility.
The place before the next choice has been made.
Before the next word has been spoken.
Before the next step has been taken.
A place where many different possibilities can still exist.
And perhaps that is why creating space can feel so expansive.
We are not forcing the next moment to become something.
We are allowing ourselves to meet it.
To listen.
To feel.
To receive.
And then to choose.
Where Could You Create More Space?
Maybe the invitation today is very simple.
Where in your life could you create just a little more space?
Space in your home.
Space in your calendar.
Space between one commitment and the next.
Space to breathe before answering someone.
Space around an emotion before deciding what it means.
Space between you and another person when you need to hear yourself again.
Or simply space to walk among the trees without needing to accomplish anything at all.
Because sometimes transformation doesn't begin by adding something else.
Sometimes it begins by creating enough space for something new to arise.
The gap is not empty.
It is full of possibility.
And maybe, sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is simply make room.
A little space for you 💖
If this reflection resonated with you and you’d love to explore your inner world a little more deeply, I created a free Self-Reflection Journal with Prompts & Practices for Sensitive Souls to support you in slowing down, listening within, and creating space for what wants to arise.