Going Shopping in the Menopausal Way

 

Vessel — Half full half empty

And here’s the irony —

all my life I preached

a cup half full attitude,

as if that made me positive,

good,

grateful.

But I wasn’t half full.

I was full full —

brimming,

spilling,

overflowing into everyone else’s life.

I thought “half empty”

was the negative one,

the failure,

the flaw.

But maybe half empty

is the only way

to leave room

to be topped up.

Not constantly full.

Not drowning in my own overflow.

Footnote: I got the metaphor wrong.

In my world “cup half full” meant positive,

and “half empty” meant failure —

but now I know half empty is capacity,

breathing space, room for me.

Blurb

A collection of poems, metaphors, and lived wisdom about being a vessel in the world — not overflowing, not performing fullness, but learning the art of capacity. These pieces explore the truth that every vessel needs breathing space, and that half empty isn’t lack; it’s room to live.

Inspiration Molly my amazing daughter.

Do Not Fill to the Top

Poems and life lessons about overflow, overwhelm, and the beauty of leaving room. A collection for anyone who has ever mistaken “full” for “fine.”