In the Meantime: Periods of Time



I was speaking with a friend who was talking about a dynamic she experiences periodically that I had not previously thought about in regards to the in the meantime phenomenon.

This is in regards to a time period experience. We were talking about busy time periods and then empty time periods. This particular person can dread busy time periods, yet she also feels a sense of accomplishment during them. When they are over and the following period ensues where it is a relatively fallow time, she feels one of lost and down and sensitive. Then she feels like she can't wait until things get busier again.

I was thinking about this and realized this also describes one of those times when we are in the middle of a type of waiting mode... waiting until the next busy period resumes. What a fertile time to explore the feelings that come up along with feeling lost. It makes me think of a time of exploring our identity. Are we what we do, are we who we are, and who are we without doing?

It becomes about our essence. What makes us who we are? Being busy isn't who we are, and at the same time what we do does help to describe a part of us. Our choices regarding our jobs, careers, activities, and hobbies describe our energy levels and interests and even our gifts. What if we could use this formation to help us learn who we are through our interests and what motivates us, what our beliefs about us are and even how we engage with others and how much engagement feels right to us without being too much. So here we also learn about our boundaries through this process.

Our fallow times can give us the opportunity to digest all this material that comes up when we would be too busy to explore them otherwise. The whole experience can then teach us about who we are. This example of in the meantime is so rich with possibilities for self-understanding. As we engage in this active internal process, we actually can discover who we are versus what we do. Happy processing through our fallow times is a great in the meantime of self-discovery.

Exercise:
Think of a time where you felt kind of empty and lost. What was happening in your life during this time? Were you in a busy time? Now, think of what it was like when you had time on your hands and might have been full of self-doubt. What did you do when you were busy? What are you drawn to? What did your parents tell you about you that you took in? How much energy did you have? Do you find you like working with people, like to write, play and have fun, etc.? What are your strengths?  Now as you think through your answers to these questions, take a few minutes and write down what you learned about yourself.

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