In The Meantime – Allowing Change to Happen

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot about this place called ‘The Meantime’ – the place between that which has gone (ending of a relationship, job, project, phase of your life etc) and that which has yet to materialise – your next step ‘up’ on the ladder of life, whatever that may be. Prior to my interest in personal evolution and all things ‘spiritual’, I didn’t imagine this place worthy of consideration. After all, isn’t the meantime just an empty space? So, the me of old would throw this out as a nothing place, somewhere to simply wait (and if I did not know what was next on the agenda – to fret, worry, berate myself for being here yet AGAIN and procrastinate) – it was definitely not worthy of my time, energy or heartfelt contemplation.

Over the years, I have come to realise that The Meantime is a very real ‘thing’ – it’s a place in and of itself. It is most definitely not an empty space in which ‘nothing’ happens. On the contrary, The Meantime can be incredibly rich, rewarding and full of potential for both personal and spiritual growth. It is fertile ground, a time for planting, and if the ground is cultivated consciously, you’ll reap rich rewards. The Meantime can lay a strong foundation for the next phase of your life… if you’ll let it.

The reason this is so current for me is because I find myself in this place right now. A phase of my life has naturally and organically come to a close and the next phase has yet to make itself known. One door has gently closed and the other is opening, but I have yet to locate this opening and see where it leads…. destination still unknown. I know it’s there, I can feel it  – I can feel the potential of it all around me – it’s in the air… it just hasn’t arrived… yet. And here’s the thing about The Meantime, it can feel scary – a credible justification as to why I should chew my fingernails to the quick, plead distress to all who cross my path, worry myself into a stupor and generally exist in a low grade depression and a deep sense of unease. But, now I understand this place better, I have the exact opposite response. I embrace The Meantime.

I understand that things take time and there’s a time for everything. No matter how much I wish for summer in winter time, it just isn’t going to happen and last time I checked, water still boils at 100 degrees no matter how much of a rush I’m in… stuff happens when it happens. It’s just the way life is. Think about it, if you’re looking to bake a cake, you’ll need to gather the ingredients, mixed them together in the correct quantities and place the mixture in the oven for an exact amount of time. If you remove that cake before the cooking time is up, you’re unlikely to win first prize at the local bake-off – It won’t rise, it may still be sticky inside, you hadn’t given it the time needed for the alchemy to happen (“the seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination”).  Simply, it’s time hadn’t come. The caterpillar in the chrysalis is another example – if you disturb this process, the caterpillar will die. If it’s left alone to form into its next stage of evolution – enter the butterfly. So too, do we rise and step into the next stage of our life (be it relationship, job, opportunity) when the time is right. We’re ready when we’re ready, and not before.

I am not suggesting for one moment that we sit around passively and do nothing (although there is a time for that too), twiddling our thumbs and looking to the sky for the penny to drop, but I am suggesting that you give this space the respect it deserves and embrace it as the enormous opportunity that it is. There is potential for something totally wonderful to materialise. Fretting or worrying will do nothing but cause you to miss the beauty of The Meantime and possibly push away that which life is wanting to give you.

The thing is this, not only does The Meantime offer you a possible change in direction – a path leading to more joy, creativity, love and fulfilment, but it is also a time to consider whether you want to keep creating in a side step motion  with no forward movement –  same job, different company, same relationship dynamic, different person, same house, different street – you get my drift.

For life is always guiding you. Listen carefully for its promptings – the impulses you have towards certain activities, seemingly synchronistic meetings with people able to help you on your path, a felt need to turn a corner or enter a particular coffee shop, a book that comes your way, a film that inspires you, a song on the radio with a message especially for YOU (we all know that one!), a ‘coincidence’ too uncanny to ignore – there are millions of ways in which life will speak to you. But, you’ll be hard pressed to hear or see if you’re running a stream of negative chatter through your mind.

This is why you want to befriend The Meantime, because it’s here to help you step into the next stage of your evolution – possibly that version of yourself that’s living the life you’ve always dreamed of and has achieved all the things that make your heart soar. That version doesn’t have to remain in your imagination as something unobtainable, a pipe dream. That version of you can become your reality if you’d just believe it possible and know that life wants those things for you too – it’s here to help.

A little caveat at this point – from our limited perspective, we cannot possibly know what is best for us, which is why you’ll need to allow life to show you something you’ve not yet considered. Be open, be interested, be curious – these are the ways of being that will allow you to receive. Despite what you believe, life it isn’t against you, life is your ally, it’s your friend. And because we cannot see this invisible helping hand, it can be easy to conclude that it doesn’t exist, but consider gravity or oxygen, you cannot see them but gravity is constantly supporting you and you’d have a hard time remaining conscious if oxygen decided to up and leave!

The golden words (as ever!) are trust and faith. These are not feelings, they’re commitments. Just like you visit the gym to build muscle, you have to keep working your faith and trust muscles to build them up and make them strong. The more you do it, the more faith you’ll cultivate, the more open you’ll be to possibility and the more you’ll receive. Don’t take my word for it, try it. It’s a world view and a way of showing up. You’re either open and receptive or closed and shut down – it’s a simple choice. And make no mistake, it IS a choice.

In closing – nature abhors a vacuum. Something will always flow in to fill a space. If you’re in The Meantime, you’re in it, like it or not. But how you navigate it is entirely up to you. Will you allow circumstances to materialise based on worry, fear, lack mentality, negative self talk and limiting beliefs? Or, are you committed to trusting the process, prefering to create your next phase from a ground that’s been fertilised with unwavering trust, belief in your vision and faith in life?

So I know it’s only my personal and humble opinion, but when faced with the two options on offer, it’s a no brainer for me, I know which one I’d chose.

Here’s to trusting the process and as always, to your evolution!

Emma