Day 236 of The 365 Day Experiment. Space.

I asked for a word today.  I got sunburn.  And then I got space.  Being that I don't really burn, space resonated more.  

There are about a thousand different places my mind jumped to when I heard this word.  My first thought was Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic.  My second, which I will focus on, was, "sharing."

I feel like for the last two decades my life has been all about learning how to share my space.  I grew up in a home where I had my own bedroom.  I was able to decorate the way I chose, and I took great pride in the way I arranged my stuffed animals and posters of Jim Morrison and the B-52's just so.  And then I went to college.

It was the first time in my life I ever had to really share my space.  And it was a tough transition.  Privacy for phone calls, homework, or even an intimate smooch with a boyfriend were out.  Care packages sent from home became community property, and clothes became shared items.  I did not love this.  So much so that I went out on my own for the next two years before regrouping with three roommates again for my senior year.  I learned that if you are going to share your space, you better be thoughtful about who you choose to share it with.

And then I never lived alone again.  I had a slew of girlfriends I roomed with after college, and then I got married.  And then I had kids.  My spaces have become larger in size, but feel somehow smaller in other ways.  Somehow my girls and I thrive in just a few favorite rooms.  My kitchen, the most shared room in my house, is where I try to make everyone who enters my home feel the love.  It is where the wine is poured, the food is made, and the conversation flows.  This shared space is where our biggest memories are being made.

I share my space at work as well.  I share my office with our CEO, at first by necessity (we were short on space) and ultimately out of collaboration and true partnership.  While many think we are crazy, it has worked well for us.  We bring out the best in each other, and challenge each other's thoughts.  And in two weeks when we move offices, we are separating.  We will only be down the hall from one another, but I can't help but think a bit of my groove is going to go out the window.  That shared space helped me get in the zone.

And then there is my personal space.  I don't have much of it.  My bag?  My desk?  My bedroom?  My car?  Ultimately, they all get shared.  I think the only place I can truly claim as my own space these days is my mind.  I own what goes on in there, for better or worse.  I get to chose what gets shared when, and with whom.  Clearly, I've been sharing much more than I ever did before.  There is still so much left though.  And that's ok.  A girl has got to have her space.