With all the determination of Peyton Manning in a 2-minute offense, I reared back to throw my laptop into the icy cold of the Iowa River. Had there been a crowd it would have been roaring. But at the last second, sanity returned.

I’m glad it did. I like my computer. Besides, the whole misunderstanding wasn’t its fault.

All I really wanted was a little balance between technology and life. Admittedly, I have to stay close to the front edge of technology for pretty much everything work related that I do. I simply made the decision that it’s not going to run my life anymore. In fact, with one simple realization, I broke free of all excuses that impeded my desire to do the things I was blessed with the ability and will to do. Quite simply, I decided I am through trying to lead my life; now I am going to let my life lead me!

What happened to cause this change? I’m not sure. All I know is, it did and I like it. It’s simple. I’m a prisoner of no one and nothing. In more ways than one, I’ve become my own BOSS.

Yes, I realized, we can actually choose to live as a Being of Sound Spirit. We can define our own space. The challenge is to keep the outside noise outside.

Every year it seems there is more technology to learn, more gadgets to replace what we used to do with our own two hands. Noise is everywhere. Lights and colors flash from TV screens in nearly every room in the house. Most every person in every household has a car. People don’t talk anymore — they text. They don’t listen to each other speak because they have their iPods in their ears blasting music every minute of every day.

Kids are expected to participate in every extracurricular activity possible because, heaven forbid, they might miss out on something. There is little or no time for us to breathe and feel some open space in our lives. And without spaces our lives become one long, continual thread of unreflective and meaningless movement.

Just think about what makes music beautiful. It’s not the running together of notes; it’s the spaces between them that make one gasp. In dance, it’s the small, almost imperceptible pauses during the waltz that makes one appreciate the beauty of the dancers’ movement. It’s not the words one speaks that people pay attention to as much as the pauses between the words. The spaces one creates in his or her life are what give life meaning. We need them. They are not meant to be filled up, but need to be cherished and protected.

A few spaces is all it took to change me back into a being of sound spirit.
After all, that’s what I was when I came into this world.

I have a feeling I’m not the only one who has a thirst for new freedom and more spaces. Something is afoot. We are here by the river, in the mountains and on the lake, in different places together; wondering what would happen if we gave ourselves a little space to set our spirits free.

As one ‘Being Of Sound Spirit’ to another, I say, “Welcome back!�