Spaced Out(ed)
“Space, the final frontier…to boldly go where no one has gone before.” – Gene Roddenberry
I know what Roddenberry was talking about, being an avid Star Trek fan. But for me, you need more than boldness to conquer space. And, I’m not talking about the one where the stars and planets are located.
“Space” is a never-ending place that we’ve all been to and that challenges us daily, right here on our own planet.
You just came home from shopping at the local supermarket. Unfortunately, when you get home, you discover that you didn’t check the refrigerator before going shopping. Now, you have multiple items you just brought home – fruits and vegetables, cartons of liquids, packages of meat, jars of condiments, dressings, a bin full of assorted lunch ingredients, etc., and you notice that you have limited “space” to store them and keep them from being spoiled. What do you do?
You plan on redecorating your living room, but is there space for the old furniture and the new ones you were thinking of purchasing? Should you rent a storage unit?
You can clear out a lot of stuff to make space, but did you ever think about where all those things you throw out go? Does the town have enough space to dispose of your waste? Have you ever passed by a landfill? Not a pretty sight, or smell.
I’m not sure about other writers, but my desk, between electronics, writing materials, and supplies, is in constant upheaval as recreating space to do things makes for very creative manipulation.
Considering a house move to a smaller residence in your future. Check out your space in the basement/cellar compared to your new abode. I would imagine that there is a major discrepancy between the old and new spaces for everything you own. What to keep? What to throw out?
And then, there’s the space between things. Do you all like parallel parking? I don’t. Even in parking lots, being able to pull into a space between two parked minivans or trucks is a talent I don’t excel at, considering that the original parking lines were designed for smaller sedans.
What most of us need is something like Doctor Who’s TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), where it’s bigger on the inside than the outside. That might solve some of our storage space issues.
And I cannot leave this discussion about “Space” utilization without bringing up the use of emotional and intellectual space, which, to me, is the most important space.
We all need a private space occasionally to break away from the toils and troubles in our lives. A place where we can relax and forget about the things that demand our attention – work issues, home and family responsibilities and expectations, the inundation of self-centered individuals, who do not use the “space” between their ears to listen, respect, empathize, or understand others, in order to do what’s right.
However, we also need a public space.
No, Gene, I wouldn’t call “Space” the final frontier. It is the ever-present frontier, the here and now frontier, and it is challenging. Some spaces we can fill on our own. Others require us to cooperate.
Perhaps we do, as a group, need to boldly go forward… together.
Let’s make space for our future, let’s make time for it also, and let’s make these voyages a trek worth taking.
