Taking Up Space

How on earth can something so small take up so much room??!!

The question reverberates at every turn: the backyard is littered with dog toys; the laundry room overflows with towels; and my lap is filled with puppy! In the seven weeks we’ve had her, I have watched Annie grow and consume more and more square footage of our home (and, more and more of our lives).

Beyond every room in our house, Annie has also taken up residence in my heart; she managed within hours to fill every chamber. I consider her numerous times per minute (!), so she’s taking up my head space, too. As I wiggle around for a little more room to operate, it dawned on me how we often allow small things—slights, dismissals, biting comments—to crowd our joy. The carelessness of others spreads, slowly consuming space in our heart and mind without us realizing the degree to which it’s happening. Before we know it, agitation, frustration or anger dominates the grey matter between our ears as it eats away at the tenderness of our heart.

Egregious actions, of course, have to be dealt with before they grow out of control. But the little things we encounter brought about by thoughtlessness or self-centeredness should be put in their rightful place: out of sight and out of mind.

It’s the Season of Joy! Let nothing or no one crowd out yours.