Empty Cup Left Aside

When you see a cup of fresh brewed coffee on the table, you would take the cup and have a sip. But when you have finished your cup of coffee with continuous sippings, the empty cup you just leave at the side of the table.

The cup of fresh brewed coffee usually symbolizes new things in life that come across your path. It is human's nature to grab hold of that new thing and take a look at it, smell it, and experience it. After some time when that thing is no longer new, it is left aside just like that - ignored. This is very commonly seen in family relationships.

Have you been through something similar? Perhaps you are the one drinking the coffee..or you might be that cup of coffee being drunk and all that's left of the empty cup is put aside?


Everyone experiences rejection or neglection at least once in their whole life, especially as a child. Some might even be rejected all their lives! When we feel rejected, neglected..surely there is this emptiness in us that makes us find 'alternatives' to fill in.

But think about it in another perspective. Move the attention back to ourselves. When was the last time we pushed away our parents when they asked us to sit down with them for a meal? How long has it been since we tell our family members "I love you, thank you mum, dad, for raising me up to be who I am now" when all these while we have been repeating to our friends "Thank you for being my friend. I appreciate all you've done for me."

In many ways we have unconsciously neglected our family. It may be when it comes to spending time with them over meals or telling them how much we love them for being good 'friends' to us. We always go out with friends and have supper together, or even we tell our friends our sadness and share with them life stories that we've gone through..but why can't we do the same with our parents? After all, they have gone through the years that we are going through and are surely more experienced after eating more 'salt' than us.

Then you may tell me, "But they won't understand! They will misunderstand whatever I say and tell me I'm wrong." Well, have you ever tried?

I once thought my parents will never understand me. They went against everything I wanted to do, gave reasons to oppose everything I said..but when the time came and I was in need for a listener, I just shared with them in the car on what was bothering me that day - and just as I thought, mum opposed and asked questions etc..and in the end I resulted in saying "I share this with you because I trust you as my parents. I thought you would understand, but apparently not. I really hope you will try to understand what I'm going through." And just like that, they became silent. They gave those words a hard thought - and surprisingly, they apologized and in turn shared their own points of view and gave me the pat on the back that things will b fine.

So give it a try, you'll never know how amazing your parents will be. Do not shove them aside like the empty cup. Sometimes when we feel as if they are shoving us away, but actually we are the ones pushing them away first. Think about it.



-little cup-