Life is much easier when the tube is full

You see this toothpaste tube right here? That’s the state of some of us—pressed down, kneaded, twisted, and squeezed till there’s nothing left. Some days I enjoy drawing analogies from the happenings around me or events that happen to me.

I woke up one morning to brush my teeth but my toothpaste was close to finished. I had known for a while that I needed to get a replacement, but I am usually in the habit of pressing and kneading the tube till I am sure all the paste is out. So this particular morning, I came, as usual, to squeeze the tube till something popped out for my toothbrush, but this time nothing came out. I kept exerting energy trying to press something out till eventually I gave up and decided to get a refill.

The minute I pressed this new toothpaste, pop! The toothpaste spilled out. Not much effort was needed, just a simple press and I had adequate paste for my brush. And at that moment I said to myself, “life is much easier when the tube is full.”

Linking this to my daily life, I thought of how we can’t give what we don’t have. It’s out of the abundance of what we have, that we give. Sometimes we try to give when we are empty, and we keep exerting so much energy just to give the last bit of ourselves. Something interesting that also came to mind about this particular event, was that even when I knew this tube was close to empty, I kept pressing.

💡 How many times in our lives do we see the signs of burnout but keep pressing till we are empty because it has become a habit for us to do so?

This entire scenario just brought awareness to some of my habits that have become a default. It made me conscious of the need to keep my tube full so that with ease I can give to myself and also those around me.