My friend Teri Case just published her first novel, Tiger Drive. I finished it about ten days ago while on a plane back from a work trip. The last 100-plus pages were so good that I had to put down the book between chapters and look out the window or close my eyes, take a deep breath, and yes, sometimes wipe a few tears. The book is wonderful for lots of reasons, and one of the images that has stayed with me is that of a bookshelf that a character in the novel keeps empty to represent "faith, hope, and opportunities." I love that intentionality of making room, holding space open for the good that will come.
The scene I just described from the novel Tiger Drive also made me think about creating an open space in our work, whether or not of the paid variety, for faith, hope, and love, to enter. Of course these three don't need an empty space in order to appear, but maybe we could use the empty space to remind ourselves that we've invited their arrival. Think of the bowl on your desk, your empty pocket, that space next to your cash register.
“Thou takest the pen – and the lines dance. Thou takest the flute – and the notes shimmer.
Thou takest the brush – and the colors sing. So all things have meaning and beauty in that space beyond where Thou art.
How, then, can I hold anything back from Thee.”
— Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings
_