The Space Between Us
I was sitting in the back of the bus this morning, watching a young girl across the aisle. She was clutching her backpack against her chest like a shield, her eyes darting toward the window every time someone new stepped on board. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, but she seemed to be trying to shrink, to take up as little room as possible in a world that felt too loud. I remember that feeling so clearly—the instinct to hide behind a book or a bag, hoping the world would look past you while you figured out how to be in it. We spend so much of our lives trying to be seen, yet there is a quiet, sacred power in the moments we choose to remain hidden. It is in that small, protected space behind our own defenses that we often do our most important growing. We are not always ready to be fully exposed to the light. Sometimes, we just need a little cover to find our own rhythm. What do you hide behind when the world feels like it is watching too closely?
