When the Door Opens and We Learn Not to Rush Through It

The space between an ending and a new beginning doesn’t end all at once.

It loosens.

One day we notice something subtle: the air feels different. A little less dense. Possibilities that once felt unimaginable begin to flicker at the edges of our attention.

An invitation.

An idea.

A person.

A sense that maybe, eventually, we could move again.

It can feel like a door opening.

After a long period of uncertainty or loss, that moment can bring relief. Hope. Even urgency.

When the ground has been unsteady for a while, the appearance of any solid-looking path can feel like something we should take immediately.

But an open door doesn’t always mean it’s time to walk through.

One of the quieter challenges of leaving the space between, is learning to distinguish between availability and readiness.

Between what is possible and what is wise.

Between movement that restores us and movement that simply stops the discomfort.

This is especially true in relationships.

After endings, of roles, identities, partnerships, futures, we are often hungry for connection. Familiarity can feel like safety. Intensity can feel like meaning. Being chosen, needed, or desired can briefly steady a nervous system that’s been searching for footing.

None of that is wrong.

But there is a difference between connection that supports our becoming, and connection that asks us to skip essential steps of recovery, reflection, or self-trust.

Sometimes we rush through the door because standing in the doorway still feels vulnerable.

Because pausing means remembering why the space between existed in the first place.

Because hesitation can stir anxiety, grief, or the fear of repeating what has already been lost.

Leaving the middle space well requires a different kind of question than the ones we asked when we were lost inside it.

• Not: What will make this feeling go away?

• But: What do I actually want now?

• What do I need in order to move forward with integrity?

• What pace honors what I’ve just lived through?

These questions don’t demand immediate answers. They invite discernment.

The space between teaches patience by necessity. Emerging from it asks for patience by choice, as we recognize and allow an inner realignment to continue.

We don’t have to reject what appears. We can notice it, sit with it, and allow clarity to grow before commitment does. We can let doors remain open without mistaking openness for obligation.

Leaving the middle space isn’t a leap.

It’s a measured step — taken with awareness, kindness toward ourselves, and respect for the terrain we’re still crossing.

---

*These reflections naturally gathered into a set, each touching a different aspect of the space between an ending and a new beginning.

For those of you who’ve been reading along, I’ve created a simple PDF — The Space Between: Endings and Beginnings (Reflections 1–10) — for anyone who’d like to sit with them more slowly or keep them in one place.

I’ll be turning toward a new topic next, but I’m grateful to those of you who joined me in this first round.

Download: Five Reflections