Space, Celebration and Community

Wow what a year! Everyone will have their own reaction when thinking back on it. It has been unique in many ways and what we have each experienced will be unique to us and no one can change that. Yet some things, as organisational teams for example, will have been shared.

Space has taken on so many dimensions this year (no pun intended!):

• 2 metres is a distance that all of us have become familiar with
• Remoteness, as teams work apart
• Space in homes turned into offices and then reverting back to living spaces
• The empty space that loneliness can make us feel

Self growth

And we can still take the time to allow ourselves a different kind of space: that of time in our diaries perhaps, to take the opportunity of physical space to go outside to quieten our minds, or to take a moment to look back and celebrate. Yes, celebrate – what you have achieved and what others have achieved, however big or small in 2020.

I have worked with individuals and teams this year that have managed a number of changes beyond what they considered possible. Even when it hasn’t always resulted in the outcomes they wanted or hoped for, they still did it. There have been inspirational people who have shown kindness and compassion and also summoned the energy to support and help those who need it most. There have been those who have gone on and completed their job as normal, except that it hasn’t been normal. So let’s all take a moment to recognise and celebrate that too, whether that is celebrating others or what we have done ourselves.

When we celebrate, we have the space to realise just what we are capable of, how we have managed, how we have grown and what we can offer to others.

Community

And we can create a community that can celebrate together. Today, why not take the opportunity to fill that space between yourself and others (the physical, emotional or mental space) and offer a ‘Thank You’ to someone else. Then you can celebrate with them, regardless whether they have done something above and beyond or gone on delivering their normal job. Perhaps they aren’t even part of the organisation any more, given the hard consequences this pandemic has caused. We can all fill that void of Space by creating a Community, even with just two, and Celebrating that.

Fresh Air Fridays builds communities through their innovative programmes and free offerings. These include:

• Breathing Space session – 30 minutes to restore yourself – every working day
• Private Facebook Group – a safe space for people who care about their wellbeing and want to live their best lives