Spaces

The temperature is already at 77 degrees fahrenheit in this new space, and local news reported July 4th to be the hottest day on "the planet", ever.  It will be humid and hot outside.  Washington, D.C. brings this experience.  The skies are clear and blue - and that can shift at any moment to summer showers. Time (by clocks) has shifted three hours ahead of my usual place in California.  Today is Thursday.

It is always a miracle to be able to break across time/space realities.  Moving through the lines we know is fairly easy today.  Nothing suggests that one is doing something remarkable at all.  Board a plane, wait five hours or so, and it's a whole different reality.  The vibe is not the same as before.  The people and their rhythm have changed in a subtle but unmistakable way.  Everyone has the same physical presence but the energy is quite different.

The architecture makes a huge difference, too.  It is the way in which people choose to live so that the practicalities of making it to work in all kinds of weather, and access to transportation that is public are things that matter.  In this space, the physical structures are imposing, expressing memories and messages not to be forgotten.  It is in the way the aesthetic seems to matter more than the estimated value of the space.  It is also in the way in which people relate.  Here's the interesting thing:  There is an awareness of others and a given that relational qualities matter.  This seems to be captured by the way in which buildings are built and oriented.  The structures affect the relationships.

Whether a subtle nod, a quiet acknowledgment, or a glance - there is a connection that is not common on the other side of the continent.  It has nothing to do with familiarity and everything to do with being seen.  Some will argue that the seeing comes with assumptions that are not necessarily welcome;  but many would say that there is something about that unspoken but clear acknowledgment:  "I see you.".  The way things are set up, it is hard not to have the encounters that repeatedly offer one the chance to see (and to be seen).  Very different from other spaces, both near here and farther away.

What comes to mind in new spaces is the quality of possibilities.  When removed from the familiar, and put into a different physical reality there is a slight flip of a switch that invites one to see and feel things differently.  And what is delightful about today, is that there is no rush.  

In the past, there was a rush to a morning breakfast, followed by a morning meeting, followed by a luncheon presentation, followed by lunch, and then a quick visit to something that might be of interest for the moment, and then a cocktail reception, followed by a dinner.  And depending on the reason for the visit - a late night caucus.  Oh my.  Even the memory of the way in which this space altered behavior makes for dizziness!

Today, the orchids are in bloom, the skies are blue for now, and the quiet, slow pace allows for reflection.  Irony:  this space could use a lot more reflection.