In-Betweens

I’ve decided to work on cherishing the in-betweens. Those moments of neutrality, of uncertainty: they’re the true foundation of our reality. When we look back on the past, we end up adoring these moments. We find comfort in them when we are facing our new in-betweens. Instead of anticipating their completion, let’s experiment with adoring them before they pass...

The present doesn’t rush for those who don’t live in it.

Have you ever caught yourself speeding towards the last seconds of a yellow light, only to slam on the breaks as soon as it inevitably turns red? This is sort of what I mean. I've caught myself rushing through plenty of tasks and moments when, realistically, such rushing doesn't make the time go by. This also goes for zoning out in moments of boredom at school/work or procrastinating on your to do list. Those on the path to enlightenment call it "resisting the present".

We’re not used to in-betweens anymore.

In the world of social media, by its form, everything is a finalization. Your friend presses a button and ta-da! everyone sees their beautiful trip to Greece. You don't see the nine hour flight they just spent cramped next to a manspreader, or the raging knot in their neck from sleeping sitting up, or the hours and hours of work it took to save up the money for that flight. All we think is "Wow! Greece! Someone teleport me there now and QUICK!"

That was a bit of a dramatization, but imagine how much easier the process of getting there would be if we cherished the in-betweens too. And by "there" I don't literally mean Greece (but heck if that's your "there" then congratulations) I mean wherever this in-between journey is taking you, whether you know where that is or not.

If patience is key, then a lot of us are not great at unlocking doors.

I'm experiencing a major in-between right now: I'm about to graduate from college, I'm starting to audition for professional dance jobs, I'm about to tackle a yoga certification... But the key phrase here is "about to". I'm about to start these things, and the anticipation kills me at times. But then I take a deep breath and remember that I'm just in an in-between. This is the calm before the storm, and you can't do much until the storm arrives, so enjoy the calm. This'll probably help you to enjoy the storm too.

This concept came to me about a month ago. I was alone standing on the side of the road waiting for the crosstown bus to come and I felt antsy. I needed to get where I was going. But then I started noticing what was all around me, and really noticing - there's a difference between seeing and noticing. I had one of those ahah moments where you realize how great New York City really is... the kind of wonder you sense frequently when you first move here (those still come to me even though I've lived here for over three years now - I don't think they'll ever go away for good, and I think that's amazing). I noticed how cool the shops around me were decorated, how nice the architecture of the buildings were, how crisp the air felt, how the car lights glimmered like Christmas lights. I noticed that arriving where I was going wasn't nearly as important as where I was in the present.

I started writing this right then and there, and now that simple, everyday moment is ingrained in my memory. I think back to it whenever I notice myself getting impatient, and it inspires me to keep on cherishing the in-betweens - no matter how big or small.

Next time you catch yourself wanting to get something over with, maybe try taking a scan at what's around you.

Deep breaths,

Hannah