Pots
When we say that someone is full of themselves, it's usually a bad thing. We are acknowledging that there is something better to be full of than what we are made from. But 'full' is an interesting word. If I had a bowl into which I put as many stones as would fit, I would call the bowl full of stones. But then, I could pour water into it too; and though it would be more full (that is, there is more in it now, with water as well as stones) than before, it is neither full of stones, nor full of water. For a vessel to be full of something, it implies that that's all there is there. Full is exclusive.
Imagine two bowls made from clay or pottery. The first one is made in the traditional manner, with sides, a bottom, and a hollow in the middle, but the second is different. The second bowl has sides and a bottom, but the hollow in the middle is not there - it is a bowl full of clay, a bowl full of itself. Before this bowl can be used for anything, it must first be emptied; and in the case any kind of vessel, it is the emptiness that is (initially) more important than the fullness. Emptiness means that it is available. Emptiness must come first, before any kind of filling can happen. Then, of course, the next most important thing is what it becomes filled with. How much room there is for the good stuff depends on how much of the other stuff has been cleaned out.
So if you are, like I was this morning, feeling empty and wondering why, think about this. Emptiness means opportunity, because it means we are ready now to be filled with something new. Emptiness means that the difficult process of hollowing out has, perhaps, already been done. Emptiness should be treasured for this - don't let yourself shrink around what you have, don't become smaller just because at the moment you are empty. No, be larger, be more open, be more available so that as much as possible can be poured into your life. Then you will not just be full, but you will realise that the greater the emptiness before, the greater the space now filled with the new and good thing. Just a thought, K.
- Posted by flyingkiwi on 26/03/2007.
- flyingkiwi's site
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