What Are You Making Room For?
Lately, I’ve felt like I’m on a fast-moving merry-go-round. Between traveling with family and friends, seeing new places, and making plans, I’ve been trying to take it all in, as if I might miss a single moment. And, well, it eventually catches up with me.
Today, I’m on the couch on a rainy day, and every fiber of my body aches. Not the coming-down-with-something kind, more like the air has been let out of a balloon. And I’m actually enjoying it. No plans, nowhere to be, nothing to accomplish. Just a chance to slow down, breathe, and be still. I might even take a nap in the middle of the day. Can you imagine? Letting myself simply be is part of a new chapter I’m loving: midlife.
It has me thinking about how quickly our days fill up. Work, appointments, family, social plans, errands, and all the little things that find their way onto our calendars. Sometimes I look at mine and wonder how everything landed in the same week!
I’m not complaining. I love having things to do, people to see, and things to look forward to. But I’ve realized there’s a difference between having a full life and feeling fulfilled by the life we’re living.
We make so much room for what needs to get done that we don’t always make room for what we want to do. Responsibilities, commitments, and other people’s expectations tend to get first dibs. But what about making room for ourselves? For friendships that energize us. For conversations that run a little longer than planned. For a walk with no destination, a new experience, a creative idea, or a quiet morning with coffee and a few uninterrupted thoughts. Room for doing absolutely nothing without feeling like we should be doing something else.
Being an empty nester has made this hit home for me. For years, my days had a built-in rhythm: school schedules, activities for my family, my own work, and somehow getting dinner on the table. (Yes, I did it all!) Now that chapter has closed, and there’s suddenly a lot of open space. Honestly, it took me a minute to figure out what to do with it. It’s also been a chance to try new things, reconnect with old friends, continue my work with clients and workshops, and get to know parts of myself that haven’t had much attention in a while. I’m having so much fun!
I’ve also noticed how easy it is to fall into the habit of saying yes. Sometimes because we truly want to, and sometimes because it’s simply easier than saying no. Being intentional means pausing before we fill that space and asking: does this add meaning to my life, or just another item to my to-do list? Maybe making room is really about making choices. Connection over obligation, presence over rushing, curiosity over routine, and sometimes rest over productivity.
As I look ahead to the weeks to come (how is it November already?!) and the busy holiday season, I’m reminding myself that I don’t have to fill every available minute. I want to leave room for spontaneity, for the people I love, for new experiences, and for those ordinary moments that so often turn out to be anything but ordinary.
So here’s something to think about: what are you making room for?
Not what you need to accomplish, change, or improve, but what you’d like to invite a little more of into your everyday life. Sometimes living intentionally isn’t about adding more. It’s about making room for what matters most to you.
Let me know what you’re making room for, and if you need my help, I’m here.