SPACES - 2023 EDITION

 

A series of essays….

THE BEACH AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA ~
WIDE, OPEN SPACE WHERE OUR ‘SPACE PROGRAM’ BEGAN

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Author’s Note: Back in December, 2020, back in the throes of COVID-19, I wrote this essay because I knew how important having personal space was; how not having personal space or not wearing a mask could and would harm us in the long run. With a few small tweaks here and there, I offer you my 2023 version of Spaces, reminding us of what having space means and that having it is necessary and required.

Spaces can be beautiful things. They were created to calm the weary soul between bouts of upheaval; before the spirit can be crushed under the pressure of tempestuousness storms. Spaces offer relief and respite from ourselves. We can be grateful for this downtime. It is meditation for the soul and sanity for the mind and allows us the freedom to gulp fresh air and new ideas before carrying on. As humans, we can perform at our greatest potential if we offer ourselves time-outs, spaces for reflection, as we contemplate our next move, solve the next problem—recreate the world. 

A space in time is our sigh of relief when we exhale audibly in one long, deep breath releasing collected sorrow and weariness; a whispered exhalation suggesting the sound of trees sighing in the wind while we’re on a walk through a forest. The spaces between the trees define the paths that we follow while the space high above us offers an azure blue sky drifting between the bundles of broad leaves forming the crown of the tall, majestic trees. Our collective sighs surround the bracts and catkins that shiver beneath the Trembling Aspen whose leaves quiver in the wind.

Wherewouldawriterbewithoutspaces?

Spaces define perimeters denoting boundaries that we have chosen to respect and abide by. Giving our neighbor his own ‘space’ in which to function as he sees fit is akin to respecting the fence he has installed to secure his property believing that he will respect our own private spaces in return. As some spaces deal with ownership and free will, others imply colloquial language and the basic parameters of daily life: A parking space, a space between your front teeth, the space between residential housing, spacing plantings a certain distance apart, the wide, open spaces of the Great Plains, the space of time between one action to be followed by a similar action, and the three-dimensional area around us, the universe where stars and planets exist. 

Space, as one of the classic ‘seven elements of art,’ refers to the distances or areas around, between, and within components of a particular piece. In art, the use of space can even be used to distort reality. One of the best ways to explain the use of space in art might be: Painters imply space, photographers capture space, sculptors rely on space and form, and architects build space. 

The use of space within an artistic format is sometimes nothing but an illusion; magic for the eyes.

FRENCH ARTIST, HENRI MATISSE, USED
FLAT COLORS TO CREATE SPACES IN HIS
RED ROOM (HARMONY IN RED) 1908.

An intermission placed in the middle of a performance offers the audience a space of time in order to contemplate and process the meaning of the first half so that they can be more knowledgeable when approaching the final act. If this intermission is applied to our own life span, might it be labeled ‘middle-age’ as in one’s prime, mature adulthood, seasoned, educated, and more reasonable than one’s undisciplined and often reckless youthful self? If we solemnly believe this, our second act should be driven by the mature lead of past examples, lessons learned via our mistakes, and the culmination of wisdom and truth that only the passing of time can provide. 

Keeping this in mind, aging should be a highly praised asset 

of accumulated resources that would allow us to share the wealth of knowledge and life experiences with others of all ages. Even though, given the relatively short scale of existence one person has on this Earth, this space of time may seem trivial compared to the span of history. But, it is long enough to capture in memory the heart and soul of every person and pass their ethereal existence down through the passage of time.

EACH OF US REQUIRES PERSONAL SPACE
FROM TIME TO TIME

Researchers describe the interpersonal distances of man (the relative distances between people) in four distinct zones: intimate, personal, social, and public space. The implication of the importance of social spacing has impacted us today with great force, its reverberation can be felt around the world. Out of respect and love, remember to give everyone the ‘space’ they require to feel comfortable and move forward.

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved