The distance between despair and enlightenment is non-existent.  They are the same choice point.  They are the same catch in your breath.  They are the same moment.  They are the same inhale.  They are the same long awaited sigh.  They are the same.  So the distance is a moot point.  It is when all the world “falls apart”, or all the world “opens up”.  It is the times when we decide to let things be that we discover that we can make a paradigm shift.

A paradigm shift is huge, yet subtle.  A paradigm shift is moving from a beckoning to new horizons, to actually seeing the edge of the earth and moving past it.  A paradigm shift is a reconfiguring of your whole universe.

I have had such a shift.

I actually think those shifts are happening more and more all the time.

I am shifting and expanding and shifting and contracting.  I am driven by an inner force.  A point inside me that tells me when it is time to reconvene; when it is time to reinvent myself.  When it is time to make a change.  It used to be that I would only need to make a small adjustment.  These days though the transition is extreme on a regular basis.  It is has left me looking for the constant; the eternal inside of me.

So what is eternal?  The eternal is the space between.  It is hard to describe in words.  It is hard to speak out loud.  It is just something you sense.  It is the moment before your inhale becomes your exhale.  It is the moment when you can’t decide if you feel fear or excitement.  It is the moment that you choose peace over something else.  It is the moment.

Sometimes we miss the space between.  We hurry through it looking for the end result.  We push the space aside to make room for our decision.  We ignore the space hoping it will dissolve into the way things used to be.  We even curse the space thinking that it is a harbinger for future woes.  But the space between is the gift.  It is the time we need to listen for the next direction.  It is the break from the hoopla to seek a peaceful path.  It is the time to bless what is past and welcome what is to come.  It is the moment for insight and transformation.

Often though we choose despair in the space.  We think that life as we know it has come to a close and we burrow down with our ear to the ground listening for trouble that lies ahead.  The space between does not have to bring despair and desperation though.  It is always a potential spot of  quiet contemplation.  It allows you a chance to breathe in and out,ponder the days past, explore the lessons learned and invoke the blessings to come.  It is the space between one moment and the next.

You won’t get it back, at least not on this round of transitions.  So use it well.  The space in between.  The distance between despair and enlightenment.  You have a point of choice…. you have an opportunity.  Which way will it go for you?