The Irish have this little thing called thin spaces. These are places where the separation between the earthly and the divine is so slim, a place where we can experience the works of heaven more clearly and easily. If you're not into religion, think of it as a place where things happen for a reason, and you fill something bigger than yourself is present.
One of my favorite things to do to cope with my anxiety is take trips down to the monuments at the National Mall at all times of the day. Sometimes its a run early in the morning, a bike ride as the sun sets, or sitting on the back of the Lincoln late at night watching the lights of Rosslyn glimmer over the Potomac.
The Mall is my thin space. I experience a clarity there that I have not been able to find anywhere else. Part of it is the history that whispers in the air around me, part of it is the ability to clear my hide and focus only on pedaling a bicycle or on the sky as I put my feet up on the side of the Washington Monument.
There is a spirit there that keeps drawing me back. It's something that I know will always be a constant for me. Despite the fact that there are hundreds of tourists milling about, I feel as if the mile-long stretch between the Lincoln and the Washington belongs to me.
I love that you can see the Capitol in the distance, too. It's like I can stare at my future, and hope that I'll one day make it far enough down the mall to that building, so full of power and hope.
Some people like to meditate, some like to do breathing exercises, and some people listen to music. I prefer to breathe in the air of history, of some majestic DC spirit that lives in that mile-long stretch, a spirit that allows me to believe I am enough and that I can handle whatever I have to face come tomorrow.
My heart is full on the National Mall. It holds my memories. It holds my fears. It holds my anxieties. It holds my happiness. It is one of my hardest goodbyes.
Find your thin space. Because I promise you it allows you to discover what you need out of your life at this present moment.
