The Cup

Earlier this week, I came across a Facebook memory that reminded me that a number of years ago, I said this: 

Whether the cup is half-empty or half-full depends on whether you're drinking or pouring. 

That was so profound that I actually shared that thought again. Because, hey, it sounds right...right? 

If you're pouring, and the cup has substance in only half of it, then it's half-full. If you're drinking, and the cup has substance in only half of it, then it is half-empty. Easy-peasy. 

But herein lies the difficulty that we have with facts. See, the half-measure in the cup is a fact. Pouring or drinking impacts this fact in a certain way...kinda. 

But here is language, too. Because it still depends on your perspective. 

If you are pouring and the cup has substance in only half of it, it could still be half-empty. That is, how do you feel about pouring? 

If pouring is a chore, if you're running low on your own measure, if you're weary or irritated or bored or whatever, then the cup can still be half-empty. Like, Ugh...I still have half a cup to go. If pouring is a delight, if it's going well, if you feel like you're doing good work, then maybe it's half-full. I'm almost there. I've got this. If you're enjoying it a little too much, if you're really thriving in the work of pouring, maybe it's half-empty again. I only have half left to go, then I'm going to have to find something else to do.

The same is true, as you might imagine, with drinking. Maybe you like what you're drinking, so you're sad it's about to be over. In that case, the cup is half-empty. Maybe you don't like it and don't want to drink it, so it's still half-full; there's still that much more to go. 

Life is complicated. It's complex. It doesn't lend itself to easy ideas or images, even if on the surface they seem beautiful and good. Or even profound. 

Life isn't found in stuff like that. It's found in the living of it. What the cup is or isn't, how much it has or doesn't have, is irrelevant until you are interacting with it. Then, you bring your own experience and perspective and attitude to the cup and so define it in those terms. 

And if we can do all of this with a metaphorical cup, imagine what we can do with the rest of our lives. 

So the question is...how are you living these days that you're given? Are you drinking or pouring and...what difference does it make?