A child
walking along a beach
begins picking up shells.
Soon her hands are full.
Instead of setting down a few,
she calls over a friend or parent
to hold them
so she can pick up more.
These end up in a bag or jar
somewhere in her room,
forgotten.
Until Mom or Dad
ask if they can be thrown away.
“No. No.” She cries.
And forgets about them again.
Like children,
adults pick up
projects,
to-dos,
positions,
expectations
and have a difficult time putting them down.
Maybe it’s time to look around
your life
and
see what you’ve
picked up
which needs to be
put down.
Imagine what you could do if your hands
were empty.