We all take up space. It's simple science that highlights the atoms that form molecules and make up the cells that form our physical bodies. But many times the space we take up becomes a commodity and therefore a burden to someone. Think about your seat on an airplane. Another example is renting a hotel room, an apartment or buying a home. Many spaces are so valuable that we can only imagine what it must be like to stand in them.
Sometimes the spaces we value most aren't physical but instead emotional or intellectual. Have you ever heard someone say something like, "I needed room to grieve"? These spaces of the mind can be just as hard to find as that perfect hotel room overlooking the beach.
That is why I have been so impressed by the hospitality along Geneva Lake. Arguably some of the most sought after real estate in Wisconsin, the owners of these homes accept the 100-year-old tradition of giving space for walkers along their small bit of Geneva Lake. Something they pay significant money for is offered freely to people like me.
While there are plenty of signs saying "Keep on the path" and others reminding people of "Private Property," there is an understanding that the role of offering space goes both ways. The owner gives up their exclusive right to the space and the walker respects that not all the space is for the taking.
For me the Geneva Lake Shore Path has provided a space to think. I can enjoy the beauty, the open water, the families playing, the other walkers and I can think. To me there is no greater gift than giving me an inspired place to think.
"Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring me and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines." Henri Nouwen
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