Is the glass half full or half empty? 

Wait, maybe I should rephrase the question. 

Is the glass half empty or half full? 

Wait… Do you know this is a trick question?  Do you realize the game is rigged?!

The glass is broken.   There is tiny crack. A manufacturer’s defect.  

If you fill it and drink quickly, you won’t ever notice.  But if you leave it sitting on the counter, the contents will seep out very slowly.  You probably still won’t realize there’s a crack.  You’ll wipe up the counter, rinse the glass, use it again and again. 

Maybe one day while you’re sipping, you’ll catch a glimpse of the crack.  But you’ll keep drinking and just put it out of your mind. 

Then some day, probably when it’s in the dishwasher, the glass will break once and for all. You will have to let it go. 

If you realize now that the glass will be gone one day, you can be mindful of the crack.  You can take better care of the glass, wash it by hand in lukewarm water. Perhaps you can extend its life. 

But even if you take great care, don’t get too attached. Know that it can get knocked off the shelf and shatter to pieces at any given moment. 

It’s half full. It’s half empty. It’s an impermanent and flawed vessel.  

These earthly vessels of ours, these bodies are as flawed and impermanent as that glass. 

Born with a factory defect. Destined for impermanence.  Most of the time we move through our days unaware of the slow leak. 

Every once in a while something happens, and we catch a glimpse of that crack, usually right in the middle of a big, delicious sip.  

We can ignore it and keep on sipping.   We can focus on the crack and get wrapped up in the tragedy of it all. 

Or we can become more mindful, take better care, and grow even more grateful for the precious nature of it all.  

Drink in every moment. Enjoy it while it lasts. 

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