A small apology first: there was no Weekly Calm last week.
The practical truth is that the difficulty with my bedroom, the water leak, and the disruption took more out of me than I expected. Nothing dramatic enough to build a story around, just enough awkwardness to knock things slidly sidways And as many of you know me, left me a little overwhelmed.
And it fits, strangely, with what I spoke about this week on Stillness in the Storms: giving space.
Not giving up. Not going cold. Just not crowding an already difficult moment with guilt, pressure, and the need to fix everything immediately.
I am learning to say:
This happened. It was difficult. I am still here.
That is enough for now.
Stillness in the Storms 169: Giving Space: Love Without Taking Over
A conversation about staying close without rushing in to fix, and the small pause that can change how we meet each other.
Inner Peace Meditations 105: Create Space Around Your Thoughts
A gentle meditation using the image of a closed shed and an open field, helping you create room around thoughts, feelings, worries and body sensations.
Sometimes we feel the need to fill every space with something.
A quick answer.
A clever thought.
A bit of advice.
A story that proves we understand. When we are emotionally involved with a family member, friend, or partner, that urge can be even stronger. We want to help and fix it. We don't like to see anybody we care about suffer.
But not every space is asking to be filled.
Sometimes the most helpful thing is nothing just space. Enough room for wisdom to appear, or for acceptance to soften the edges.
Decades ago, space arrived more naturally. Whether going for a walk or doing a mundane chore. A few minutes where nothing else was filling the void. Now we fill so much of that space with radio, a podcast, scrolling, and noise. None of those things are wrong, but without some space, it is harder to hear what we really feel.
So if you do one thing this week, try to create a little space for your thoughts, your feelings, and the people around you.
This week, I will leave a little space before I rush to fill it.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me recently: Cheryl, Nitya, Yvonne, Eleanor and Ryan, Karen, Lani, Jess and Stuart. And thank you to the anonymous supporters and everyone who helps keep this work advert free.
If you would like to support, listen to the podcast, or just say hello: stevenwebb.uk