[Mahler]

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 260 – The Abandoned Cup of Coffee

The Abandoned Cup of Coffee (06-01-09)

When you get to be my age you notice that you start going to the men’s room a lot more frequently during the day and annoyingly more during the night. Oh, yeah, I can use the excuse that my hydration levels are a lot higher than most people my age, because I pay attention to my training and drink a lot of water. But, that doesn’t change the depth of the rut worn in the carpet between my desk and the bathroom. I have come to think of this condition as a kind of bladder bulimia, due to the ongoing filling and purging process. And, each trip is concluded with a stop outside the restroom, at the water fountain, to top off the tank, in preparation for the next delivery.

On one occasion, while stopping at the fountain, I came upon a coffee cup. It was a plain, white, Styrofoam coffee cup and it was perched on the edge of the fountain and filled about half-way with coffee. It had been abandoned, no doubt, by some thoughtless person, like so many these days who think of the world as their personal garbage can. I had to move it to get my water and then took it back into the men’s room, emptied the contents into the sink and threw the cup away. Keep in mind, that I did not do this joyfully. I did not do this with any sense of accomplishment or pride in helping to keep the area clean. There was no satisfied smile on my face. As a matter of fact, I had thoughts of a CSI episode and how there might be DNA evidence on the cup that might provide a clue as to its owner, so that I could track down the lazy bastard and dump the coffee on him while giving him a piece of my mind.

As the evil thoughts of revenge and retribution subsided, that abandoned coffee cup reminded me of how often people depend on others and even upon perfect strangers to do things for them. Of course, quite a few of the things that are done for us by others are because they are paid to do it. We pay people to do things for us that we cannot do because we lack the expertise. We pay people to do things for us because we have no time to do it. We pay people to do things for us because we have no inclination to do it or it is distasteful to us. The mechanic fixes our cars, or the chef cooks our meals at a restaurant, or the garbage collector picks up our trash. Maybe the person who abandoned that coffee cup felt, in some perverted way, that he or his company paid rent and that rent pays for janitorial service and so he was, in a way paying for someone to clean up after him. Pretty lame, but the number of people who think that way seems to be growing.

There are some things that, in spite of all our rationalizations, we cannot relegate to others to do for us. That abandoned coffee cup reminded me that adopting a fit lifestyle and getting into a training routine, or improving my life significantly in any area requires that I must gain the knowledge or the expertise needed to do the job, for no one can do it for me. That white piece of Styrofoam reminded me that I, and only I, can make the time to carry through on what I have decided to do in order to succeed, for no one can do it for me. That disgusting few ounces of cold coffee that I had to empty for the stranger reminded me that the hard work, the sweat, the discomfort and pains, were all things that I had to go through, for no one can do it for me.

Our reliance on others, throughout our lives, is important and we should expect that others will rely on us in turn. Often the things that are the most challenging, the things that are the most rewarding, and the things that are the most lasting are those things attained because we relied upon self, for there is no one can who do it for us.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go to the men’s room.
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Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

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Have a Great Week!

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