Episode notes
The Empty Toothpaste Tube
Hello,
Welcome to Cager’s Coffee Break!
Have you ever reached for the toothpaste in the morning and discovered that somebody has left you a tube that is absolutely, positively empty?
Or at least it looks empty.
So you squeeze it.
Nothing.
You roll it from the bottom.
A little comes out.
Then you fold it, press it against the bathroom counter, squeeze it with both hands—and suddenly there's enough toothpaste in there for another week!
At that point, you're not brushing your teeth. You're performing an extraction.
It's funny how quickly we decide something has nothing left to give simply because we can't see what's still inside.
We sometimes do that with ourselves, too.
We have a tiring week, something doesn't go as planned, or we encounter a setback, and we think, “That's it. I don't have anything left.”
But you'd be surprised what can still be inside you.
A little more patience.
A little more determination.
Another idea.
Another prayer.
Another reason to try again tomorrow.
Coffee has its own way of showing us that what is inside matters. Before coffee ever reaches our cups, the green beans go through roasting, and that's when some remarkable changes take place. Heat causes chemical reactions within the beans that help create the aromas, colors, and flavors we associate with roasted coffee.
The coffee doesn't go into the roaster looking, smelling, or tasting like the coffee we eventually drink.
It develops along the way.
Different roasting choices can bring forward different characteristics in the coffee, which is one reason the same coffee can taste noticeably different depending on how it is roasted.
Life develops us along the way, too.
We may not particularly enjoy every bit of pressure that comes with it—and I don't know anybody who wakes up saying, “I sure hope life gives me a difficult situation today!”
No, thank you.
But sometimes we discover strength during those seasons that we didn't know we had.
We become a little wiser.
A little more patient.
A little more understanding toward somebody else who is struggling.
And sometimes we discover that we still have enough left inside us to take one more step.
So if today has been one of those days, don't decide too quickly that you're empty.
Give yourself some grace.
Sit down for a few minutes.
Pour yourself a cup of Cager’s Coffee.
And remember that you're still developing, too.
As for that toothpaste tube? Well, apparently, it's not officially empty until you've rolled it, folded it, squeezed it, flattened it against the counter, and considered getting a pair of pliers, so you might as well, grab yourself a delicious cup of Cager’s Coffee. We look forward to seeing you soon at www.cagerscoffeehut.com, and remember to keep brewing kindness one cup at a time