The Space Between

There are Post-It notes all over my computer. They are filled with scribbled phone numbers, things to do and ideas for the future. But because I look at my computer so often, I’d actually stopped seeing these notes until the other day. I glanced up from a phone call and saw my computer anew — as a monitor lined with a wreath of tiny paper.

As I started to remove the notes which were no longer relevant, I had to laugh when I saw the one that said “Pay Attention.” Clearly I had stopped paying attention to the state of my computer and to these mini-missives.

All our lives we are told to “Pay Attention” yet it comes off sounding more like a threat than the helpful advice it is. More importantly, we are never really taught how to pay attention. Buddhist philosophy teaches that an attentive life is lived in the present; each moment being experienced for what it is. But being present is not always easy, especially today when all we want is for this current economy to move on. And so we exist right now in what I call the space between

The space between is that moment of silence in a conversation, a rest period between actions, a blank spot on a painted canvas. Yet much more than we imagine is happening in these seemingly empty moments. In fact, we need these moments to refuel ourselves. If we can face them calmly and give them the attention they are due, the space between gives us permission to re-think, re-evaluate, re-adjust, and re-invent everything so we are ready for what comes next. In this regard, silence truly may be golden.