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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Space to Grow

When planting a grove of trees, experts recommend spacing them close enough together that the canopies will mesh in maturity. It’s okay for the branches to touch each other, as long as each tree has enough space to grow.

Relationships need the right amount of space too—enough space for us to grow, but not so much that we grow apart.

How much space is needed for ideal growth is dependent on one’s emotional makeup and stage of life. Introverts seem to require more space than extroverts. Couples tend to prefer more closeness than adult siblings. Teens are more distant than toddlers. The right amount of space allows enough room for individual growth, while still remaining close enough to buffer against strong wind and storms.

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness…Stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”( Kahlil Gibran—Sufi poet)


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