How do you live in open space?

EVERETT813 at aol.com EVERETT813 at aol.com
Mon Jan 17 23:36:14 PST 2005


In a message dated 1/17/05 3:19:54 PM, 76066.515 at compuserve.com writes:


> 
> There has been over the years and across the continents a thread to many of
> our conversations here about living in open space.
> 
> A new year is a good time to examine our lives anew. What does living in
> open space mean to you? How do you bring it to your daily life?
> 
>                               :-Doug. Germann
>                               Seeking people making community change.
> 

Hi, Doug,

Living in open space.........hmmmmmmm.   My immediate thought was to be in as 
much of an accepting frame of mind as I am now able, and to be conscious that 
it is not always so.   I must add that "acceptance" and "accepting" means to 
me "consent to take in and consider".   It is NOT agreement, which is a higher 
state of "consenting to do, or act on."   I have found that separating those 
two words does wonders in staying out of useless controversies, arguments and 
fights.

The second part, to be conscious about it all the time, and to be able to 
recognize when I am not in that state but rather in a resisting or rejecting 
state (which blinds one, for sure, to any other possibility except one's 
preconceived notions of reality) is, for me, a continuing practice or task.   This not 
only applies to relationships, but also to my own self-perception.   

As a personal for instance, here I am already 67 years old.   Egad!! How did 
I get here so fast???   There are a number of things I used to do with ease 
that I can either no longer do, or do but my body tells me by hurting at the end 
of a few hours of cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking wood, as an 
example.   Also, seeing the sharp decline of my father, a former mountain of 
strength, is sobering (he's 94, still mentally here but physically very debilitated). 
  How do I stay accepting of this process of aging, living as best I 
can---which is really pretty good for a 67 year old.   Opening space for my own self 
and aging process each day---being thankful, grateful and conscious of what I 
can still do, for the good measure of health and strength I still have, rather 
than regretting what I can no longer do, or do as well.   To me, that's living 
in an Open Space way, where the spirit can emerge as it will, leading one to 
new understandings of being human.

That's what I think this evening.   I may think more or differently after 
reading some of the replies which I hope others contribute.   Good question, btw, 
thought provoking, for sure.

Warmly,

Paul Everett


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