Day 539

In the past few weeks, a great deal of my thoughts have been in what I call a blank space. Blank, because I don’t actually see anything concrete in front of me. “Now what?”, is the question my friends and relatives have asked me most often. And I find myself responding with “I don’t know”.  At first, when someone asked me that, I felt as if I needed to have a plan of action, and I found myself trying to figure it out. However, as I have looked deeper within, I have come to understand that in this blank place is where I will find my direction. This is not an easy place to be; particularly in a world where what we do and how much we accomplish is the “norm”.

One of the things I hear quite often when I am coaching people and when I speak with folks on the Walk for Peace is that for them, Peace comes when there is “down time” or “nothing to do” or “time off”.

We rarely take the time these days to allow for the blank space in our lives. It’s as if our lives have become a series of activities to check off when complete, rather than experiences to share with each other in community.

When we find a moment of quiet, we are checking our electornic gadgets – making sure we don’t miss anything. And when we’re with other people, we often ask them to wait while we make plans or text someone else.

One of the ways in which I am allowing myself to experience this blank space is by shifting the simple question from “Now what?”, to “What now?”. In this change, I find there is less expectation of doing, and more of an open invitatation to be in the present moment.

When was the last time you had a moment to ask “What now?”, and then to sit until the answer appeard rather than forcing it to come? It takes courage to sit in the unknown without taking action. Today, I embrace the challenge to be with the blank space. For it is in this space, that Peace comes.