White Space

In the recent online version of Christianity Today magazine there is an article about viewing productivity in a Christian manner. One comment in the article is that to be truly productive we need some 'white space' in our schedules, unscheduled time that allows us time to think, ponder, and create as well as downtime to rest and recharge. I have always found that to be true, and I think it is more true for us introverts who need time alone to recharge than for extroverts who often can recharge with other people. I find the need for white space increasingly evident as I grow older.

The reason for this is that as I grow older, stress shows up more visibly. I was reminded of this again this past week.  When I get overly tired or stressed, a condition called 'Iritis' in my eyes flares up, causing red and inflamed eyes. This is an autoimmune problem and it isn't really known what causes it,  which makes it somewhat like psoriasis. As my eyes turned red this past week, I realized that I was more tired and stressed than I had thought. This sort of thing never happened to me until after about age 45, though I no doubt had as much or more stress in those earlier days.  However, nowadays my phyical frame doesn't deal with that stress as well as it once did so I get stronger signals when I need to get some additional 'white space'. I am certainly less productive when I am forced to take time out to let my eyes recover!

So I have no choice at times but to leave some white space in my life. Good thing. I obviously need it.