Embrace The Gift of Uninterrupted Space

In the darkness before dawn, I start the journey with a small group of friends and family, trying to make myself comfortable next to a window seat in Row 40 on the full plane out of Jacksonville. Another passenger sits down in the aisle seat, gives a small smile, nods hello, and carves out his own spot, earbuds in place and phone in hand.

It’s early Friday morning and we’re heading to a wedding in Southern Illinois, by way of the friendly – but also congested – skies through Atlanta and St. Louis. The rest of my group is scattered throughout the cabin, and I subconsciously hold my breath – figuratively speaking of course – as the plane continues to fill, watching and waiting to see if the middle seat between me and this quiet stranger will remain open.

And deep down, hoping it will.

Before long, early morning flyers stop streaming down the aisle, the cabin doors close and safety announcements begin.

And blessedly, no one claims the middle seat in Row 40.

For almost an hour, I enjoyed a small pocket of quiet I hadn’t even realized I was craving until it surprised me while rising to meet the golden light of morning.

It had been a busy week, and was scheduled to be a whirlwind weekend with a late night return home on Sunday in just enough time to get a few hours of sleep before work on Monday morning. Maybe…If all went well.

But seated against that window at the start of our trip, the low-grade anxiety of details, preparation and rush to maintain a tight schedule all faded beneath a soft carpet of cotton ball clouds…and watching the colors of dawn as we climbed higher into the sky, verses from Psalm 139:9-10 came to mind.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

It was so peaceful to watch fresh light bounce across uninterrupted space as far as the eye could see, and I couldn’t stop taking pictures with my phone – though admittedly I had to delete many of them later.

But hey, that’s part of the process, right?

The vast expanse of sky and clouds settle me, and though this may sound obvious, for some reason it hasn’t always been so obvious to me.

Something I’ve noticed about myself over the past few years is that I often need room to clear my head as the world around me tilts and spins, sometimes buzzing with more activity than I feel prepared to handle. It’s usually less overwhelm and more mental clarity I need, but it seems that actual, uncluttered physical space helps get the job done.

I think I’ve subconsciously known it for a long time, but it’s only been in the recent past I’ve been able to identify the head and heart space for what it is.

My very own reset button.

The short flight to Atlanta in the soft glow of a new day unexpectedly refreshed me, and I tend to think whether we always realize it or not, we all need room to reboot every now and then, though it likely comes in different shapes and sizes for each of us, depending on our personality and life stage.

A simple reset can make all the difference.

A slow, intentional shut down that allows for a fresh start to balance new waves of data without suffering information overload.

Kind of like our smartphones and computers, you know?

Not always on wings of the morning, watching the sun cast golden light across a wide-open sky, but also in the practical, day to day moments, especially when life is full and hectic.

Going back to the journey from Atlanta to St. Louis, as so often happens with travel, the day proved to be a combination of rush and rest.

Of keeping up with fast paced airport life, and carving space into our itinerary.

We jumped on the plane train – as they call it in Atlanta – made our connection, crossed a time zone, arrived in St. Louis and hopped into rental cars for a drive through the city and lunch at Pappy’s Smokehouse Barbecue, a popular street corner restaurant known for delicious beef brisket, fried corn on the cob, tangy coleslaw, and southern style sweet tea.

It. Was. Amazing.

About 10 minutes from Pappy’s, along the Mississippi River in East St. Louis, something else caught the attention of our little group, and we headed off in the direction of historic Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, off the beaten path, and offering panoramic views of the city skyline and the iconic Gateway Arch from an elevated, four story platform.

The open air space and beautiful photo opportunities against a now gray sky once again allowed for a long, low exhale in the middle of a full day.

Seeing the city from a distance was like being part of the midday scene, yet temporarily disconnected long enough to reset and move forward.

Later, I felt it again driving east outside the city beside miles of cornfields and farm land, gray sky turning bright blue as we made our way toward southern Illinois.

What I thought would be a fast-paced, whirlwind weekend turned out to be a reset button instead, and it all started with just a little bit of space to clear my head.

Two and a half days of crossing state lines, reconnecting with friends and family, meeting new people and stepping outside expectations.

A refreshing time of well wishes, laughter, long conversations, close quarters and open space.

Bustle and charm. Hustle and rest. State roads and country lanes. City lights and dark, quiet countryside.

Whether you’re at home or on the road, maybe you can relate to how these days and nights of ours often end up being an unpredictable contrast. But in the middle of all the moving parts, sometimes the gift of space comes as an unexpected surprise.

Other times, it requires careful thought and intention to create more soul centered margin, and embrace slight, subtle shifts in our environment.

But it’s worth it.

You know?

The solace of uninterrupted space doesn’t negate the reality of full schedules and life problems, but it helps cultivate a mindset that values rest as a buffer between us and the overwhelm that’s sure to follow without it.

Like through the sights and sounds of dawn or dusk. Or the stillness of a quiet, uncluttered room in the middle of a busy day.

Or a walk through the park and along the water’s edge.

Or caught up in conversation with those we’ve loved for years, and those we are even now growing to love.

We can be pleasantly surprised by space. And, we can also learn to create it.

Will you lean in, breathe easier, and make room to embrace such a gift?

 

 

This post is an adapted version of Purpose and Perspective Podcast, Episode 12. You can find the audio content here.