Spaces In Between

“Clarity arises in the spaces in between.” Henning Mankell.

I’ve been working pretty hard. I’ve been caught up with various client needs, EOS installations and quarterly meetings, and getting up and running with a few new clients. For Wharton Global Consulting Practicum, I’ve been overseeing MBA teams working on international strategic marketing projects for corporate clients and NGOs. And, as you know, there is always lots of work-related travel. So I decided to recharge my mind and body with a few days of a Clarity Break in Bisbee Arizona.

Clarity Break: a time to put your work aside, pause a bit, and let your mind roam freely. A time to let your mind and body recharge and emerge reenergized and ready for anything.

As I cleared my desk in anticipation of my Break, I came across this quote lying there on my desk. Serendipitously it started with “clarity”. As I read it through I realized it so perfectly describes the time before me. Clarity Break: the space in between.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Henning Mankell, he was a Swedish writer of crime novels, most notably, the Wallander series. When he wrote these words of wisdom, he was likely not thinking of the Arizona desert. His landscape was the harsh, unforgiving Swedish coast, Yet, whether you find clarity by going to a favorite place, or by staying put but removing yourself from the normal busyness of your life, it’s essential to find that “space in between”.

We’re all overwhelmed by the modern world. Messages and information blaring at us 24/7 with nary a space in between. No wonder it’s so hard to think.

Medical research tells us that not only does this unending cacophony of things grabbing our attention lead to mental fatigue and poorer results, it also has deleterious effects on our physical well-being.

Think about it. Mind and body brought low from lack of spaces in between.

As I finish up what I can before flying off to Bisbee, where vast space awaits, the anticipation alone has begun to work its magic. I can feel my body relaxing and my mind breaking free.

As my Clarity Break comes to a close on the flight back to Birchrunville, I’m looking forward to emerging filled with new energy and ideas. I’m looking forward to forging ahead and reaching places I’ve never found before.

As T. S. Eliot says in a quotation I found sitting on my desk right under that of Mankell, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”