There's a hole in my bucket!

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Dear Liza, there's a hole in my bucket.  Often that hole is just the first thing that shows you that it might be time for a new bucket.  First things first, many might be wondering what a crushed up, useless, can't carry a drop of water bucket, has to do with destiny?  Well, how many people do you know who have given up on life, given up on their dreams, and simply  relegated themselves to simply surviving this thing we call life?  Secondly, I have seen what can done with something that appears to be all used up, and once it has been refurbished is better then the original and oh so much more fun to use since you are giving it a second chance.

If you are the type to only see empty shells, then you are going to miss out on some pretty outstanding opportunities in life.  What you see on the outside is not always what is present on the inside, and what is present on the inside is what will help transform the outside.  Seems almost cryptic I know, but I assure you there is always more than meets the eye, and once you realize that, there is no way that you will ever just see the surface again.

How many people do you know that will get rid of something, say a bucket, simply because there is a minor flaw in it, say a hole?  We are quick to rush to judgement about the condition of something solely based on an initial observation, while if you would just step back for a moment you might see the opportunity that is present in front of you.  Many a group of people have lost big time because they have only seen what is present and not what is possible.  There's an old adage that one man's garbage is another man's treasure. I tell myself that every time I go to a yard sale trying to find the bargain of a lifetime.  I will admit that I have found some pretty good stuff, and to me they are treasures.

If the people I knew in my past had not given me a second chance, and sometimes a third and forth chance, I certainly would not be where I am at right now, doing the things I love most in life.  If being perfect in all things was the prerequisite for getting something out of life, then we would all be left holding a beat up, hole ridden old rust bucket.  Thankfully, our perfection is internal, and that internal perfection is what is going to fix everything on the outside, so that you can be used once again, but this time even in bigger and better ways.

Certainly as humans we have our flaws.  We have allowed the conditioning of man to dictate our actions, our emotions, and often our greatest adversary are those closest to us, who don't want us to get out of the mold that someone has placed us in.  We must learn not to rush to judgments.  We must accept that whatever we are going through, we are going through for a reason.  We must stop, get out of our own way, and allow the Universe to direct our steps.

If all you ever see is a rusted out, hole ridden bucket, and not what it is still capable of, then you will discard it out with the rest of life's trash, but you will also be throwing out something that has experienced a lot in it's brief life, and those lessons could save you some day.  Simply because something has a past, doesn't mean that that past has to stop one from stepping out into the future.

Maybe it's time that we all take some time to find some of the things we have discarded and give them a second chance.  You might be amazed with the results you get, and even more amazed how simple it is to give things a second chance.  Certainly we can find holes and rust in almost everything we know.  If you will look past those minor cosmetic flaws you will see the beauty of your bucket, and you will begin placing a value on it again.

I am one who is always looking out for things that people have discarded that I might be able to use.  It might be an old coffee table that can be refurbished and made useful again.  It might be old crates that can be crafted into something useful.  If you only look at the surface and not use your imagination about options and possibilities, you will simply drive by, but then in the end you loose.  How many times have we done this to people?  We find it hard to give others an opportunity to prove themselves especially if they came up short in the past.  We have memories and for whatever reason we are not likely to forget failures of the past, why is that?  Have we become so jaded in life that it's one strike and you're out?  Have we become so cynical that only those who appear to be perfect in all things garner our attention?  Remember the rust bucket, there is always something good that can come from something that may not be perfect in the moment.

There's a hole in my bucket Dear Liza, Dear Liza, and that's OK with me.  Even with a hole in it, I can still use it, and I will find a way to repair it.  I love second chances, I love refurbishments, and I love seeing how wonderful things can be when they are spruced up, shinned up, and polished.  The greatness of our being is not how we look, but rather how we feel about us.  If you see only a rusted out bucket with no use left in it, then you have just that, a useless bucket.  If on the other hand you see someone who has inner beauty, integrity, desire, and love overflowing, well then you have found a treasure and never let go of it.

There's a hole in my bucket, and that's fine with me, because together we are going to go out there and show the world what one can do, and then everyone is going to want to dig out those old items and begin using them again, but this time with some real appreciation for what they have.