For those of you who've been taking out the trash since you were a kid like I have been; you will probably recall the many struggles you had trying to get the oftentimes overstuffed plastic bag to break free from the trash can. Ahhh the good ole days...torn handles, ripped bags, the things you spent all week shoving into the dark have now spilled out on the floor for all to see. What's worse is that many times you were not only forced to SEE all your gross trash, but also forced to touch it after it has become decomposed and slimy! I found myself nearly thrust back to those very moments this morning. While half asleep, I thought to myself, "now would be a great time to take out the trash". Who does that? At any rate, there I was trying to pry out a bloated bag of trash from what seemed like a trash can that didn't want to say goodbye just yet. Then as the sleepy fog shifted just a bit, I remembered that if you just lift up on the bag slowly and kind of just hold the bag and can up in the air just a bit...then pause; the can will usually just slide off on its own. It's not a method for the impatient (which I can be), but highly effective for avoiding a trashy debacle.
This, of course, got me thinking. Because why wouldn't trash inspire me at the crack of dawn? Isn't that like life? Over the years we get stuffed with trash...bad choices, bad exes, bad habits, bad ideas, bad clothes, bad behavior, or bad hair days. Life's trash bag gets swollen and bloated to the point that the walls of our being or soul become tightly pressed up against it. Most of us will take out the trash from time to time, but how effective are we at managing our trash?
Do we cram all our trash in until we can't anymore, then forcefully try to rip it out in a hurry? Perhaps, we end up having to remove some of the trash and place it in another bag so we can somehow manage to get it out. Or just maybe some of us turn the whole can over in an attempt to free ourselves of the trash in our lives. Worse yet, perhaps we just leave the trash, hoping that someone else will take it out for us. In my moment of sleepy diligence, I was reminded that a little patience and planning go a long way.
The Bottom Line:
When it comes to life's trash, don't let your trash get too full in the first place. Take your trash out regularly. Don't try to rip it out too fast and risk spilling your trash all over the place. Don't expect other to take out your trash. And for god's sake...don't take out your trash while you are half asleep!
