Margin

Margin. It’s word I’ve been contemplating lately. I remember when I wrote a book a few years back and friend kindly told me that I didn’t need to fill every page full. She said it’s good to have some white space – some margin. That comment stuck with me.

Living in the RV was an experience living outside the culture in many ways. One thing that hit me as we entered back into suburban life is the lack of margin in people’s lives. People are just plain busy. And I do mean busy. Crazy busy, in fact. On the road, it was a different story. We barely needed a calendar. Life was lived in the moment. We rarely planned more than a week ahead of time. Not that I’d want to live my whole life without something penciled in. But I do miss the pace of life on the road. It was slower. Simpler.

Back to margin. Why do we pack things so full? Schedule too tight? Run ourselves ragged? Join too many things? Say yes when we should of said no? One reason, perhaps, is because we see it as normal. I think I did too…until I got a taste of life with margin. Margin allows time for the unexpected, the unanticipated, and the important. It grants time for things that get lost in the shuffle without it. Like reading, for example. How in the world did Ashley and Jake read over 35 books a piece last year – not to mention the 17 we read together? We had margin.

So I’m really trying to be intentional on how we move back into life. I’m being cautious about what I commit to. I don’t want to get sucked back into the rat race. I want a healthy rhythm of life. Just now a Brian Regan comedy bit is coming to mind. If you have enough margin, I highly recommend taking three minutes to laugh yourself silly. If you don’t, you may be “bookin’ yourself too tight”.