What is liminal space and why do we need it?
How I found liminal space post-redundancy on my honeymoon
Last month, I took redundancy at my job of three long years. It took only three days, from the first announcement, to sever my access.
While it stung, I didn’t cry — a first for me. I knew I needed a change.
Coincidentally, it was my new husband’s last day at his job too, as he had accepted a new role.
We were supposed to fly to Cyprus for our honeymoon the next day, taking advantage of a gap in V.’s work schedule. As someone who struggles to stop equating productivity with value, I panicked. How could I justify taking an entire week to do nothing? What about the cost?
We went anyway. We needed the space.
Whether we know it or not — we are held in a liminal space during a transitional period. This space can be physical, such as a hotel lobby, emotional, for instance, a sabbatical or retreat, or metaphorical, much like a commute which takes you from home to work.
The word “liminal” is based on the Latin term “limen,” which means threshold. By taking a moment to pause and reflect, people can get a better understanding of their journey and make more intentional choices about their path forward — as in, crossing the threshold*.
While I never was a big wedding dreamer, I imagined my honeymoon to feel like a gooey bubble of love, not whiplash from a week of employment negotiations.
While not IG-perfect, we needed that space to sleep in late. Pet the free-ranging cats. Sit in the sun. Gorge on the buffet. Talk.
When you embrace a transitional space, you are more open to new ideas and experiences that can help you grow and evolve.
Together, we reconfigured, reset our expectations and made a plan for the future.
We completed the cycle.
*Coincidentally, as a newlywed I am also reminded of the tradition of grooms carrying their brides over the threshold, a Roman superstition to protect them from evil spirits.