Friday, April 23, 2010

HOW MUCH YOU CAN PUT INTO YOUR POT DEPENDS ON YOU

Do you know that you, me, and everybody else are nothing but pots? Yeah, pots! Or would you prefer to be called a vase or a vessel. Whatever it is that signifies a container meant to hold something, you are it. We all are. But I would like to use the word.. pot.. for this post.

Now what do we do with that? Let me tell you what I did with mine.


I am a pot...

When I was a baby I put in all that was about being a kid. Innocence, pleasure, delight, awe, fun, birthday cakes, ice cream, warm beds, doggies, and... mommy and daddy. It was great. Everything centered on me and I was everybody's priority. All I had to do was smile my cutest and throw in a tantrum or two to get them to my side pronto. That filled my baby pot.

Then I was ten. I couldn't be a baby anymore although I would have preferred to be as it seemed that mom and dad would always be coming at me to do this and do that. But school was great, had new friends, lots of fun things to do with them, was more aware of my newly found likes and dislikes. I was liking chocolate bars and cakes, coca-cola, nice teachers, field trips to museums, and always loved Sally and Susan -- my cute walking dolls. That filled my pot a notch higher.

Then they called me a teenager. Oh there was much in this new world that I never had before. I discovered that I loved the colors pink and blue, dresses, ladies bags and shoes, still loved cakes and ice cream, adored my first crush next door, enjoyed sketching and designing clothes, hoarded good books and magazines, delighted in poem-writing, and wrote for the high school paper. That filled my cup two notches higher. Plus up another with college that followed.

Then I found myself wearing size 7 high-heeled shoes walking it to a place called an office. I soon discovered that I was good at making tons of reports -- weekly, monthly, annually -- and did some travel, lectures and trainings for newly employees, reveled in office banter and camaraderie, events and more. That brought my pot fuller almost to the brim.

Then life turned more adult. What does that mean? Marriage, children, sickness, death, disappointment, sorrow, fear, anger, betrayal, change, trials, challenge, growing older, and all the stuff which makes an adult even wish in exasperation for the good years past. My pot now went on full and over.

So to be able to make sense out of all that... I thought I needed to do something. And fast. Or else so much would be lost. All of my history, all that made me, all for nothing if I let something like a full pot have its way. A further thought on the side, I can't and shouldn't get stuck with a full pot because there's still so much out there to learn, experience, enjoy, and live for. It's never over until it's over.

I emptied my pot.


... and by so doing have made room for insights, perceptions, retrospection, wisdom which I wouldn't have done being so involved in the living aspects of life. I needed to empty my pot so that new things could come in --- things which made sense of everything that I had gone through. It was there all along simply waiting in the wings for its turn to be inside my pot so that it could do its work.

This is where I believe that everything in our lives, no matter how tiny or insignificant it may be or maybe bigger than what we want it to be, is there for a reason. But reason which cannot reveal itself until or if we don't give it that needed room or space to do so.

Emptying our pot makes that possible. An empty pot invites it in. And this would give us all the treasure we may want or hope to acquire. This takes us higher to a better place of self and of understanding life, people, the world, and God. That's right. Whatever we want our day or our life to be, depends on how much we are willing to empty ourselves... and make room for more blessings.

One unknown writer puts it this way.... "We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want." --Anon.)

Yeah, how much you can put into your pot really depends on you.

God bless you.


14 comments:

  1. Superb.The small quote at the end has given rise to such a beautiful post leaving a message that we need to empty the pot at regular intervals to make way for new things and not clutter it up with useless stuff of bygone days.The metaphor has been fully employed to drive home this central point.
    Thanks,Ellen

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  2. Ellen,

    How true! And so nicely put across. I always tell that whenever we have to discuss anything we should do it with open mind because if we have preconceived thoughts where is the scope of understanding other's point of view?

    Take care

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  3. Beautiful post Ellen, and our post should also be free of the weeds of hatred , jealousy and revenge...
    It make sour pot more cleaner and much more contented :)
    Lovely post!Loved it :)

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  4. Beautiful, as usual. As I read your post I was thinking of what to get rid of and invite in. Made me reflect. Thank you for sharing.

    God bless you and your family always.^^

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  5. I should be thanking you, KP, for your kind and generous words and appreciation to the post written. Thank you so much. Blessings to you and your family.

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  6. Ahh but again your wisdom graces this page, Jack. Thank you. It's a big treat to see you here in the blog. Take care and God bless you.

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  7. Nicely said, Sana... "..should also be free of the weeds of hatred , jealousy and revenge..." Yes, we can do that. It's only the first step that's hard. But once we've made that first step .. the rest will follow and we're on our way to changing self and the bigger world out there.

    Glad to see you again.
    Always take care.
    Wishing you all the best in life.

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  8. Yes, Sashin, I too did a lot of that.. reflecting. And it took me to emptying my pot Lols! But it was worth it because more treasures came pouring into the same pot -- treasures which I wouldn't have known if I had hang on to the things of old. Everything in life has its own time and reason. But when it is done with us.. then it's time to set it free. What we should do or not do is really all up to us.

    It's such a delight to see you.
    Always take care. God bless you and your loved ones.

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  9. great post!
    thanks for dropping by at my blog
    i followed you, hope you can do the same <3

    have a nice day!

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  10. Welcome, Rhiian! :-)

    Yup, your blog is just perfect for the kikay at heart. Will be dropping by again.

    You too have a blessed day.

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  11. @ Ellen

    This is amazing! I felt and end up counting what all I have in my pot and Bingo! I am planning to keep an empty corner for all the lovely inner reflections of life.

    You have been ever sharing wonderful thoughts & constant wisdom and it always helped! So, I would just say - Thanks for being there Ellen. You are wonderful.

    Keep Smiling. God Bless.

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  12. When we are busy living life we can't appreciate things because we don't have time to sit back and muse; it's when we sit back and think what's there in the pot that's life that we appreciate things. I think that's the message.

    You have corelated the pot theory and your life well.

    I love coming to your blog, as always, but these days I hardly get time; I just manage to put up a post a week. You saw my post uncommented and went and left a comment there - that's very kind of you. Old friendships die hard. Thanks.

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  13. Hi Jigyasa,

    There is much we all can learn from each other. No one has the monopoly on experiences, insights, observation, or wisdom. Everybody has it in good measure from whatever life has dealt him with.

    I share what I can with the intent of contributing to somebody's learning... in the same way that I have learned from many people, near or far. But then this is possible only when that person is willing to stop look and listen... and when the learning is well received by and with an open mind and heart. You may not know it but I have been enriched too by snippets of wisdom found in your writing and blog... and for which I thank you, my friend. Thanks too for being there and a friend through the years.

    God bless you.

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  14. Dear Indra,

    I read this somewhere.. 'Friends stick around when you need them. True friends stick around no matter how you feel.' :-) You have been with me through my blog years.. always there with your warm comments and steady friendship. How can anyone ever forget that?! I have been blessed with your friendship, thank you Indra. :-) Blessings to you and your loved ones, my friend.

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:-) Here's where I warmly welcome you and where you leave your footprints behind with fond memories attached to it of wonderful chats and friendships. Thank you for your comments. Or send your comments to ellen622@gmail.com. Will be seeing you in your blog too. God bless you!