Lifting the lid off a cookie jar only to discover nothing more than crumbs is disappointing. We expect the good stuff that was there the day before to still be there. No one reaches into a cookie jar in hopes of coming out empty-handed. So, whose job is it to fill the cookie jar? Does the container have to be completely empty before a refill, or can it be topped off at any time? These aren’t important questions until they’re applied to life.
Instead of a cookie jar, think about your own existence. Do you wait for someone to fill you up, or do you fill your cookie jar yourself? We reach into each other’s lives all of the time, hoping to taste the goodness, sweetness, and specialness of life. When running low on sharables, we must pause and fill ourselves up again. The level of low or empty is determined by our individual comfort and needs. What you fill the cookie jar or yourself with is entirely up to you. Ensuring what you have to offer others is their favorite isn’t necessary. You’re responsible for filling yourself with what makes you happy. Be sure not to drain the cookies from anyone else. The contents of other people’s jars can make you smile, but it can’t satisfy you entirely.
It’s okay to run low; just be sure not to run out of what makes you happy. What we fill ourselves with won’t always be the sweetness we crave. Some cookies will be a waste of calories or time. The point is to keep yourself full and share your happiness with others. What we share keeps cookies in someone else’s jar and there for when we need a pick-me-up. Fill the cookie jar. Take what you need. Share what you have.
