I don’t take cream in my coffee, but I always say Yes when the barista offers room for cream. I like the idea of allowing room for something. When you buy a house, you pay extra for more space; but here, at the local coffee shop, all you have to do is agree to take it.
Similarly, I appreciate where my monthly bank statement says, “This space left intentionally blank.” I try to guess what information other customers are getting in those boxes. Big investment returns? The secrets of offshore tax havens?
These mystery spaces are the same for me as the plastic covers on my car’s dashboard where wealthier people have expensive options. I have a heater and a radio -- plus two big empty slots where perhaps a cell phone charger might go, or maybe a tray to keep burritos warm.
I once bought a damaged copy of Moby Dick with a dozen blank pages at the end. It’s my favorite version of the classic: It allows me to come up with something much better than Melville did. My version has Ahab and Ishmael getting safely ashore and opening a bed and breakfast called the Pequod.
I only prepare 43 minutes of material for a 50-minute class. I like to save those seven minutes, forcing me to think on my feet at no extra cost to the students. In fact, I’m leaving 40 words out of this perspective. A little space for you to share your own thoughts. And it’s all on the house!
I’m Dan Libman, and that’s my perspective.
