Aaron McHugh
  • Start Here
  • Book
  • Podcast
    • All Episodes
  • Field Reports
  • Speaking
  • Workshop
    • Explorers Wanted
  • Free Guides
    • Learning to Pace Yourself: How to Keep Going
    • Road Trip Guide to California’s HWY 1
    • Free 7 day Course to Restoring Balance
    • 99 Ways to Navigate Your Best Life

Aaron McHugh| < 1 minute read

A Breathing Space

I tend to cram too much into most days. Especially if they are what I’d consider “good things”. “More must be better” is my non-essentialist mantra when I’m trying to do it all. Judy Brown’s poem Fire articulates the necessity of the space between, to create room to breath. When I’m at my best, I’m prioritizing the space between, transitions and pauses.

Where is too much of a good thing packed in?

What makes a fire burn 
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.

-Judy Brown

Keep going-

Aaron

Cowboy camp near the Arkansas River. Less is more.
Share:
About the Author Aaron McHugh

Aaron McHugh is an executive transformation coach, enterprise agility consultant, writer, podcaster, adventurer, and author of Fire Your Boss: Discover Work You Love Without Quitting Your Job.

More about Aaron

Related Posts

Experiment More

If I had a magic wand, I would give you the compulsion to experiment MORE. Try something new, a tiny step, or a radical idea. Start today. Certainty rarely exists. […]

Read more

Why I believe Work-Life Balance is a Myth

Let go of work-life balance and embrace the unforced rhythms of a fully integrated life. I used to think that work-life balance was achievable.Now I believe it is a myth.No […]

Read more

Navigate a life worth living

Sign up to receive regular emails about living a fulfilling and meaningful life

Sign Up

Copyright © 2023 Aaron McHugh

About

  • About Aaron
  • Book
  • Joy Bus
  • Contact

Learn

  • Podcast
  • Field Reports

Events

  • Speaking
  • Workshop
  • Coaching

Free Guides

  • HWY 1
  • How to Keep Going
  • Restoring Balance
  • 99 Ways

Follow Aaron