picking up a box of cereal
shaking it and finding not enough for a bowl
your favorite fragrance filled soap bar
melted down to just a sliver
that bottle of Pom Wonderful sits at the back of the fridge
taunting you with just one last drop to taste
the things we love once so full
now empty
taken for granted
used haphazardly
missed terribly
when they are finally gone
but are they really?
we often leave the cereal and juice
sitting on display for weeks on end
not wanting to discard them
as to not be wasteful
there is product to be consumed
the soap sliver
is placed underneath the sink out of view
most often put back in the little cardboard box it came in
we rationalize that if we ever totally run out of soap
we’ll at least have the sliver to suds our body up with
knowing full well that a little piece of soap won’t serve to cleanse anything
if we throw away the cereal and juice
it makes it real
we now have to look at the empty spaces they once inhabited
it’s now obvious that they need to be replaced
but who wants to do that?
searching among crowds of people
spending money
cereal is almost $10 a box now
pricey pomegranate juice tastes good, but is a luxury we can no longer afford
why bother?
we can drink tap water and eat what we already have
but are we ever truly satisfied when we choose not to refill or clear out our empty spaces?
whether it’s a spot in the fridge where an overpriced bottle of juice once sat
or our hearts which we haven’t cleaned out in years
emotional remnants and residue still reside there
taking up valuable space and not paying any rent
hogging up all of our energy and drinking it down like lemonade on a hot summer day
we allow this to happen
why?
is it really that hard to throw away something small and no longer filled with meaning?
are we afraid that our hearts have shrunk?
we might find that our hearts have grown larger over time
that they are just bursting for the chance to beat a little stronger
if we weed our heart’s garden we just may find it filled with
room for fresh vegetables that could sustain us the rest of our lives
time to clear out those old Fruity Pebbles boxes and buy a juicer
something new and wonderful is on the way
if we make room for newness
there will always be space for love
© 2011 – 2014, TamekaMullins. All rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Wish I had this back when my mom would yell at me for leaving the last half ounce in the milk bottle lol.
Great ideas here and it mdid make think. You observed a part of your life that we all can relate to.. Really good stuff!!!!!
Thanks
Jim
Ha! Yes, I wish I had thought of this back then too. Thanks so much for sharing your comment Jim. Sunday’s are always best for reflection and I seem to be doing quite a bit of it these days.
Happy Sunday!
Tamstarz
Very nicely put, we can never be afraid of change! : )
Thanks so much Lisa! Very true!
Tamstarz
Enjoyed the post and made me think, the other night while looking for a snack in the pantry, I noticed a couple things, my son (11 yrs old) always leaves an empty pop tart box in the pantry, then on the next shelf, I noticed my empty microwave popcorn box, I guess we leave them there to remember we are out 😛
That was great. I’m always worried that if I throw old stuff out I will suddenly find I need it. Why, I don’t know as I think its only ever happened once!
Thanks Debbie and Debz! It’s funny what Sunday morning reflections bring up for us isn’t it? I’m glad you both enjoyed the post and I look forward to reading more of your work as well.
Have a blessed day!
Tamstarz
I love this! Absoloutely love this!
Sometimes I feel that way about new things in my life. For me its not really about cereal, juice or soap. It’s about acceptance and things we don’t like to change. It’s also about things we hold on to because we don’t want things to be different or we just feel as if they should be there (ex. People).
Sometimes we keep people on “the shelf” because we know they aren’t quite enough but what if we need them? What if we look up and no one else is there? Just like that bar of soap, we will have them around when all else fails when we know that they can/will never be enough.
Good Post!
Hi Jasmine! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. You got the point I was trying to make. I’m glad you enjoyed this. Admittedly I am not always good at clearing away emotional remnants. I wrote this piece as a reminder to myself and others to evaluate and take stock of our emotional cupboards.
Have a great day!
Tamstarz