Defining Space In A Pre And Post Pandemic World
How our spaces shape and define who we are.
I am highly skeptical about the concept of space. People claim to respect and treasure it. Is this just lip service? Do we pretend to value the space of others? Are we de-valuing the space we have for ourselves?
I grew up in a family of seven. I was the 5th child, to be exact. Having my own space was a precious commodity. I would go to outlandish lengths to secure this ever-illusive household prize. One of my favorite place spaces in my childhood home was underneath my grandmother’s bed.
She lived with us too, and she had this huge four-poster oak bed. It was as tall as it was wide and had sturdy, ornately carved legs. There was plenty of room underneath, and my then-child-sized body fit nicely. My grandmother usually spent her days outside in our backyard, helping my Mom tend to our garden or pruning flowers from our rose bushes or fruit trees. While she was outside, I had plenty of time to go in her room and read, play or nap. I read many a book and had daydreams galore underneath that bed.
Space can have boundaries or be boundless. Some people have no qualms about invading another’s personal space. Space invaders. Remember the pre-pandemic world? You know them, those people who always stood too close behind you…
