When I think of the glass of water that I draw from the ocean, I realize how often I have overstated the contents of this glass. It is a small, limited section of an immeasurable whole. In my daily thoughts, worries and experiences, I have clung to this glass as if it were the only measure of my life. But while I focus on the water — on my family, my job, my friendships — I unconsciously block out the infinite depth of the ocean. I have lost myself in the illusion of reality, with a limited understanding of what is real. This glass of water seems so important to me that I often forget that behind it lies an expansive world that I can only guess at.
I pay attention to what is in my glass and forget that I am part of a much larger structure. I experience moments when I lose myself in thought and question my reality. But it is these painful insights that show me that I can be much more than just what I fantasize in my glass. The urge to lift the glass and look at it has often made me linger, while the water in it lives and flows, but I haven't thought enough about what lies outside of it. The glass is like a prison that confines me to a place where I feel safe, but far from true existence.
When I reflect on how the glass shapes my perspective, I become aware of the abundance of all that I do not recognize. The questions that rumble deep within me are often uncomfortable. I have learned to ignore them often, to banish them from my mind like unwanted guests. But the more I try to push them away, the louder they get. Ultimately, I decided to face these questions and welcome them like trusted friends who want to show me the way to a greater reality. By acknowledging the flood of these thoughts, I can begin to look at the water in the glass in a new way and realize that the ocean is still there — untouched and always ready to be discovered.
