Are you a fountain or a drain?


With the length of a minute immovable and unwavering, time feels like an attempt to put us all on even playing field. Twenty-four hours in the day for each and every one of us – no more and no less. But...but is time really an accurate measure of anything but our productivity? What about what's more important than getting things done – like usefulness, purpose and the feelings we share and pass on to others? What about energy?

Energy is far from being an equal unit a measure. We're all working with different amounts because we all have our own unique challenges and constitutions. But here's what's the same for all us: our ability to use what energy we do have for good. For the positive. In other words, to be a fountain and not a drain.

What does that mean? Well, have you ever met someone exhausting? It doesn't matter if you spend one minute or 100 with them, you walk away depleted. With less than where you started. With not enough to lift yourself up. Every last drop has been funneled from your head to your toes and out the bottom of your feet. Down the drain. Gone.

On the other hand, are you or anyone you know a fountain? Just as fountains recycle water again and again, people who are like them draw from a finite amount of energy and source it into positivity and joy. They inspire and build others up – often without even knowing. And they are often sheer pleasure to be around. 

Perhaps the first way to be a fountain is simply to watch your words. Offer a smile. Lend a hand. Or an ear. And, even better, open your heart. But it's also about thinking less in terms of how long and more about how much energy you have to bring to a situation. I guarantee you, some days it may feel like it's not enough. To someone else, though, it's more than.

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