What is leaking in your life? Do you have leaks in your self-care, relationships, work issues or faith? Perhaps there are physical things you have not tended to that have become broken, worn out or unusable. The leaks may or may not be preventable. Once you notice they are not working properly or at peak performance, at what point do you set out to repair them?
“Beware of the little things. A small leak could sink a great ship.” — Benjamin Franklin
Recently, I was noticing the amazing flow of water coming from one of my water fountains in the garden. The rush of the water was strong, fluid, constant. The sound was soothing and added so much to the moment. What you didn’t see was that the fountain had sat dry for two years. No water, no flow, no joy. Just a structure sitting there without life or vitality. It was noticeable. You could see it. You just had no clue what its full potential was. Earlier in the season there were a few attempts to fill it with water and try to determine what might be “wrong” with it. Once filled, the water flowed. We were reminded how lovely it was to hear that sound and see the rushing water. However, we noticed water coming out from the bottom. Aha! Then we noticed another area leaking. We found a small plug that went in one of the drain holes. Once plugged, the water flowed better, but was still leaking from the bottom. We left it unattended for awhile to see what would happen. Can you guess? Yep, it ran out of water and was putting pressure on the motor, which had no water supply. It became lifeless again.
As life would have it, we left it unattended again for several weeks. We had other projects and life demands tugging and we didn’t have the time to spend on it to find out what it really needed to be fixed. Then along came a friend who had some experience in this area, and some time to spare. We were patient while he made multiple visits to determine the cause and the remedy to repair it. After finding the crack, filling it, sealing it, letting it dry and testing it for any further problems the fountain was finally ready to work at peak performance once again.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Elliot
While enjoying the renewed fountain, I was mesmerized by the sound of the water. I admired the full flow and watched the water move through all the channels with ease and strength. It was living at full capacity. I couldn’t help but think about how we can all live, move and breathe at full capacity if we would just plug our own respective life leaks.
This might take paying closer attention to what needs fixing. It might take walking away for a short time to gain a fresh view or better perspective. It may take several attempts or multiple layers of care, but when the effort is made you will see the flow and progress created by your attention and efforts.
How are areas in our life like this experience of the fountain? If you value your relationships, don’t let little things get swept under the rug. If you keep doing that you will eventually have no rug on the floor—it will be held up with all the unresolved issues and be loose to walk on, with no solid footing. It will also be a bigger mess to clean up and could likely take much longer, when just a little attention could avoid a huge pileup.
A relationship is like a house. When a light bulb burns out, you don’t go and buy a new house, you fix the light bulb.
Value your mental capacity and plug the leaks of taking on too much. Keep your mind free from too much busyness and breathe easier. You don’t have to do everything. And you certainly don’t have to do what you do need to do all at once, either.
Value your body and plug the leaks of neglect by stretching, moving with intention, or getting a massage to nourish your body. Plug the leaks of gluttony and eat smaller portions. Or, plug the leak of choosing things that make you feel sluggish or bad when you eat them. You could also plug the leak of guilt or shame and enjoy what you eat! Plug the leaks of self-condemnation when you look in the mirror. Replace it with a smile that radiates beyond what you’re wearing or how you wear it.
Value your emotional state by facing your fears (tall order sometimes, I know) one at a time. Plug the state of fear with more empowering and supportive thoughts and actions. Plug the leaks of feeling unworthy, jealous, prideful or not being enough with the resources that can get you there—friends, support groups, books, podcasts, mentors—there is a lot of good at your disposal.
Take one step at a time, but definitely step into plugging the leaks, wherever they are in your life. The other side of doing so will result in better performance, renewed friendships, healthy life flow, clarity and peace of mind. When something gets in the way of the full flow in any area of your life, remember to locate where the leak or block is, figure out the why, get help if you need it, and put in the time until you get it moving again to its full capacity. Enjoy the flow!
“We all want to fix things. Just as we all believe that so much in life can be rectified. Mend fences, build bridges, reach out, engage in mutual healing.” — Douglas Kennedy
