Recently, I was approached by a community member and chastised for an Opinion column we ran in our publication this month. This particular person took offense to a few lines in this particular ramble and proceeded to let me know how wrong it was to print such a piece. The interaction made me think beyond the verbal tones and threatening demeanor, because I know the person. I realize the pressure of day to day life takes a toll and sometimes comes out sideways, so I went onabout my business.  

However, I woke up in the middle of the night and began to think about how this type of human reaction goes beyond the moment and reaches a deeper level of consciousness.

So it became a shared example of subconscious thought like this…

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along bumps into you, spilling your coffee all over you and the world around you. Why did you spill the coffee?  

You spilled the coffee because it was what you had in your cup at the time.  Had it been tea or a tall glass of red wine you would have spilled that instead.

The point is, whatever is inside your cup will spill out when you are jarred or rattled.  Therefore when life comes along and shakes you (as it does), whatever is inside you will come out.  It’s easy to put up a upbeat positive front from day to day, moment to moment, but when you get rattled, what comes out?

So, you’ve got to ask yourself, “What’s in my cup?”.   When life gets tough, what spills out?

Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?  Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words and negative reactions come forth?

You choose… or, do you?  If you can find inner peace with your daily life, then you will have clarity as life rattles your cage.

I try to fill my cup with gratitude, joy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness and love for others, but sometimes, I cloud my soul with frustrations, bitter emotions and anger which occassionally spill out.

Today, I am going to fill my cup with a boat drink out on the lake to help wash away the negativity that lingers in my world.  What’s in your cup?