One of the themes we touch on time and time again is that of the empty bowl. The idea behind this is that, if a bowl already is filled to the brim, nothing else can be poured in. Another way to illustrate this concept can be pulled straight from an activity in the Smith household tonight.
There are some sales at area grocery stores that we want to take advantage of tomorrow. Several of the staple items used in our household day in and day out are a lot less expensive this week than usual. So, before compiling our list, we decided we should take a look in the refrigerator.
Like many households, various items get shoved to the back of the icebox. Amidst my wife's sometimes hectic schedule and my many trips to various doctors, there are a lot of days when we grab something quick to eat and then store the leftovers in the fridge. Before you know it, these leftovers get forgotten and start to take on weird shapes, colors and...odors.
As we were going through the fridge tonight, we realized that more than one-half of the items had entered that "ooh icky yuk" stage. Consequently, if we want to take advantage of the various sales on produce, it means we need to toss out the crap and clean the fridge. If not, then once we brought the new items home tomorrow, there wouldn't be enough space in the fridge to store them!
It is the very same principle with our minds. If we allow old ideas and desires to ferment and get stuck clogging up our thinking, there is no room for new ideas and wisdom. So, just like the need periodically to clean out the icebox, through meditation or deep reflection, we need to clear our minds. When we are able to cast off old modes of thinking, we free up the space for new ideas and concepts to take hold.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
There are some sales at area grocery stores that we want to take advantage of tomorrow. Several of the staple items used in our household day in and day out are a lot less expensive this week than usual. So, before compiling our list, we decided we should take a look in the refrigerator.
Like many households, various items get shoved to the back of the icebox. Amidst my wife's sometimes hectic schedule and my many trips to various doctors, there are a lot of days when we grab something quick to eat and then store the leftovers in the fridge. Before you know it, these leftovers get forgotten and start to take on weird shapes, colors and...odors.
As we were going through the fridge tonight, we realized that more than one-half of the items had entered that "ooh icky yuk" stage. Consequently, if we want to take advantage of the various sales on produce, it means we need to toss out the crap and clean the fridge. If not, then once we brought the new items home tomorrow, there wouldn't be enough space in the fridge to store them!
It is the very same principle with our minds. If we allow old ideas and desires to ferment and get stuck clogging up our thinking, there is no room for new ideas and wisdom. So, just like the need periodically to clean out the icebox, through meditation or deep reflection, we need to clear our minds. When we are able to cast off old modes of thinking, we free up the space for new ideas and concepts to take hold.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
My fridge is mainly full of condiments...several soy sauces, teriyaki sauces, hot sauces, salad dressings, capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, goose fat (very precious),fresh ginger and garlic, and pina colada mix. Nothing you could make a meal of, but could make a meal interesting....
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think about this in terms of the condiments in my mind.