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It has been several weeks since I have posted to this BLOG as I took on a new and expanded position at work that kept me very busy, as well as traveling a bit overseas.  Where I had intended a small break from writing, it became more pronounced where a Next Step taken led to more, and more, and more, etc.  Like waves of sand blown by the wind I found myself stepping from crest to crest with little if any breaks in between.

Recently I want to see a friend & advisor to reconnect and ground.  After sharing some of my new experiences as well as my challenges of not finding enough time and space for rest/rejuvenation during this expansive period, she reminded me of the practice of listening to the spaces in between.  We sat and listened to the birds outside the window, concentrating on the silence between each chirp. What became very clear to me after just a few minutes was that it is this silence in between that actually turns the sounds into birdsong.  As with musical notes played one after the other, there is no melody without the pauses in between each note.

Upon further reflection I noted to myself that without proper timing and spacing and proportion, notes played sound cacophonous and grating.  For it is the art & craft of arranging the silence and notes that can create a masterpiece, just as light and color in a building space will make us say "Whoa!".

Barcelona Cathedral

With this in mind, I took some extra time for myself to walk in nature and listen for and watch all of the spaces that naturally occur in nature.  In the redwood grove near my home I noticed not just the tall trees that have stood for hundreds of years but the spaces on the forest floor that hold ferns and pockets of light and air.  When my son and I planted some new flowers in the planters on our patio for Mother's day we were mindful of creating spaces in the soil between so that each could breathe and grow.  And yesterday morning when I took my solitary early run out on the beach there were 14 pelicans flying just overhead - I saw the space between each and noticed that they split into two groups of 7 as they passed.

It is my practice to interpret that which is presented to me in the world around me, and to notice when there is a message.  For me this was just such a message, reminding me that for every note played there is another note that will follow, as well as for every octave there is another as well.  I reflected that the note being played for me right now was my new job and that this was actually my 7th job since I graduated from college, denoting a specific position in the octave of my professional/corporate career.  Just as there will be a job after this one (eventually), there will also likely be a new octave as this one appears to me to have the resonances of the musical note G.  Or if you prefer The Sound of Music - "Tea, a drink with jam and bread... that will bring us back to Doe, a deer..."

And from this I come back to the spaces in between for when signing the notes and moving up an octave, there are breaths in between as well.  It is these breaths and space that I am refocusing on again.  Enjoying more time with my wife and son, scheduling events & outings with friends and re-grounding my connections to nature and personal time.

And then I will be off again, taking my next trip for work and another step along my Path.  However, this time, I plan on 'singing' more of the notes and paying more attention to the magical spaces in between. :)  I encourage you all to do the same.

All the Best,

Whitney

© 2011 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill

"Doe - a deer, a female deer,
Ray - a drop of golden sun.
Me - a name I call myself,
Far - a long long way to run,
Sew - a needle pulling thread,
La - a note to follow so.
Tea-  a drink with jam and bread,
That will bring us back to Doe oh oh oh."

 - The Sound of Music (Do-Re-Mi)