Brave Space

A friend and I were recently talking about safe space – you know, that space someone creates for you where judgment is suspended and you can talk freely. I love safe space and try to create it as often as I can. However, my friend was explaining she had just heard the phrase “brave space” as an alternative to safe space. Safe perhaps indicated more passive behavior and more care-taking than brave, which carries with it an expectation of participation. Safe space is created for you and doesn’t necessarily require a lot of you. Brave space requires you to be a part of the conversation, as well as to speak honestly and with a goal. The more I think about our conversation, the more it resonates with me. It’s easy to use safe space as a place to vent and share your frustrations, but nothing has to happen from that. Nothing is required in the safe space. With the expectation of brave space, you can also share your frustrations, while exploring solutions. Being brave implies being bold and being creative to give voice to things you’ve only thought. To me, being brave means having the conversations that worry you. But engaging in those conversations is the first step to freeing yourself from the worry and madness that they cause. Where is your brave space?