Everyone has a backpack, and everyone has stuff in their backpack.
Sometimes your backpack has too much stuff in it, and you've got to get rid of something.
Sometimes your backback may not have all that much in it, but that stuff is heavy and it's hard to carry around.
Most of us are carrying some stones in our backpacks. These are heavy loads. Sometimes we carry those rocks for years. Some of us have backbacks so full of rocks nothing else fits in there. We can barely lift the pack at all, let alone carry it all.
People will often want to give you something that was in their backpack. In some cases, that may be a gift.
"Hey, this is so cool, you think, as you tuck your new treasure carefully away in the backpack, hopefully far from the rocks.You'll be happy to carry this wonderful new thing in your backpack, and even though it's in there, the pack somehow feels lighter.
Other times it's just another rock for you to carry around.
You don't always get to choose what's in your backpack, but when you do... choose wisely.
Every day, some people are carrying overloaded packs. If you can take some of their load and help them, that's good. If you can't, well, carry your own load as best you can, and maybe you can help more on down the road.
Sometimes you just gotta put your backpack down for a minute. That's ok. Take a breather. But you can't leave it behind. There's important stuff in there.
Yes, this is a metaphor, one that I've belabored before, and will belabor again. It works for me. I like having it in my backpack.
It may not work for you. You may think, this is just a different metaphor for what Spoon Theory already describes. I disagree, but that's OK, I'm not asking you to carry my metaphor around if you don't want to. And I don't plan to carry your opinion of my metaphor around either.
Carry what you need and want. Sometimes carry more, if you can, or if you want to.
Don't be afraid to leave some rocks behind.
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