White space

I've started reading the running pundits.  It was inevitable, given my life-long obsession with periodicals and my new-found interest in running.  Like much press, there are recurring themes.  You know - short skirts are in, short skirts are out.  The running press seems to have great admiration for the "easy run".  The easy run is defined but what it isn't: it's not timed, not paced, not tracked, not fast, not hard.  It is a put-on-your-shoes-and-just-run-until-you-are-done run.

I don't have fancy gear, but I like running gear.  I like running distractions in general.  As I have said, my first preference is to have my friends, Coach  Craig and T the Terrific, with me.  But if not, I want my ipod.  And I like my ipod chip that tells me (sort of) how fast I am going and how long I have gone.  Some day, I might even invest in the Garmin.  If it didn't involve dealing with the chest strap, I'd probably get a heart rate monitor.

We were in the warmth over Thanksgiving.  One day, I ran with JB.  Running with JB is somewhere in between running with friends and running with music.  He'll talk, but I have to initiate conversation.

But another day, I ran not with, but like, JB.  It was an accident; I stepped outside to realize my ipod was completely dead.  So I just ran.  No music.  No technology.  No indicators of whether I was running fast or slow.  Nothing to distract the thoughts in my head.  And while I didn't love it, I survived it.  I even had a brainstorm or two along the way.  It's the way JB both runs and operates in general, a un-distracted approach towards life that is one of our major differences.

I've learned from the visual people and graphic designers in my work-life that people need white space.  Too many words on the page distract us.  As my sisters keep pointing out, I haven't been blogging much the past few weeks.  It's unfortunately true.  My new job, which I love, is occupying pretty much all of my mental space these days, filling every page with many, many words.

The run made me realize I need more white space.  In my calendar, and in my life.  I've started with my calendar - blocking a morning and an afternoon a week.  For time to think, to write, to have the pop-in meetings about ideas.  Maybe even to sit and just think for a minute, or ten.

Hopefully blogging a little more will be a side effect.  I've got some things to say.  Next up: the bar mitzvah of my oldest nephew and how we emotionally connect to charity.

In the meantime: Shabbat.  The original, ordained white space. And probably a blog on that to come.  Wishing you all a day, or an hour, or a moment, of rest.