I’m just going to be a little transparent here:
Lately, things have been a bit stressful. There’s a lot of things going on all at the same time, and I feel like I’m covered in so many things at once. I have people like my mom, my dad, my fiancé and my friends trying to pop in and help from all sides, but it’s all overwhelming me and I just feel like I am drowning in everything.
I feel like we, as people, are like buckets [Now, before an obvious joke can be made here, let’s say these buckets are made for water]. We take on a little bit of water from our jobs, our family life, our friends, and other things. That’s what we were meant to do. Sometimes, we take some water from our friends that they tend to have an excess of. We do this because we don’t let our friends and loved ones take the weight of things alone.
However, we all have to realize that every bucket, no matter how big or how small, has a limit. A five gallon bucket holds five gallons. A thimble can’t carry five gallons of water. What may only seem like a drop to a five gallon bucket is overflowing for a thimble.
I think we, as people, do this to ourselves and other people. We, like buckets, hold the water-weight of our stresses and our problems. Sometimes, we can’t empty the excess water, and it builds up to our limit. The people who know and love us either know our limits, or they have no clue. Sometimes just a little drop of water they have is either way too much for us to handle, or we’re already at our limit, and that’s the last drop that makes us overflow and spill our water-weight everywhere.
Think about a time that you asked someone to do something small, or invited them somewhere, and they just exploded. They have so much going on in their life at that moment, so many things begging for their attention, and they just explode, dumping all of the water-weight on you. For you, I’m sure this was quite the shock. “Wow, jeez! I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out!” or “I was just _____!”
Sometimes… we place our drops of water in full buckets. When it overflows, we just think “Wow… it’s only one drop of water!” Did you place your “drop” of water into a thimble? Did you place your drop of water in a full bucket?
We do this to ourselves too. We could be thimbles or five gallon buckets or even a huge oil tanker for all we know. Something comes along, and we take it in stride, “Oh, it’s only one drop of water…”
Before we know it, the drops start to accumulate. The drops start becoming more, then a stream, then a waterfall; and it can get to a point where so much happens at once, it’s like we’re trying to empty a sinking ship with a spoon.
So, try to find some time and a way to empty your bucket, with a friend or a loved one or on your own. If they seem to add more water to your bucket, find a way to empty your bucket, or slow the water flow. We can’t always stop the flow, but we can slow it down.
Just remember, sometimes your drop of water can be an ocean to those who are at their limits. Find a way to distribute the waters of life in one way or another without overflowing yourself or anyone else.
It’s easier said than done, trust me I know. I still have issues emptying my bucket (or my thimble, whatever the case may be), and sometimes I have retained some water I need to get rid of, or can’t seem to empty out. However, it’s still possible.
No matter how big your problems and stressors become - just remember:
A rainstorm starts and ends with one little drop of water…
