As a business professional, I have spent many years finding data to validate what I already knew. “I had a feeling... an instinct... my gut was telling me…” But, I was trained over time that “smart” decision-making is based firmly on data, not some soft “sense.” Fortunately, this wasn’t the rule when I was a journalist covering the revolutions in Eastern Europe at the start of my career. My actual survival depended on my instincts and intuition.

In April of 2009, my mother was dying. We didn’t know how long it would be, but it was inevitable. Her body had served its time in this life. She was at home, with the support of hospice and her six children. I was also in the middle of two big projects at work, where I was integral. I knew that my priority was to be with my mom, however long it took. This was precious time that I would never get back; but nonetheless, I still felt torn. How could this be?

I want to share with you a concept that my husband Colin and I learned in a relationship course. It’s called the Space Between.