Eggs and Baskets

We all know the old saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.” Have you ever thought about why? If you have, there are actually a few reasons. Well of course you don’t want to drop the basket with all of the eggs in it. That’s a given. Another reason may be because if one of the eggs in there is broken, it might get that nasty goo all over the other eggs. Still another reason might be because you have someone else’s eggs in there too. A disaster if you break them. There is another reason that I think to be of importance. It may not be the case but it is definitely a possibility…..

Maybe you are in possession of a sorry basket. Let that marinate for a minute...don’t worry...I’ll wait.

Whether you have one egg or forty eggs, if you put them all in a sorry basket the outcome will not be desirable. At a certain point in life, the basket inspection process becomes critical. Not only do you have to examine the basket, but you also have to look and see what in your life can be considered a basket. People, places, jobs, hobbies, cars, along with schools, habits, inner circles, and goals are all things/issues that can be considered to be baskets. I like people so I will work on that front and if you get what I’m saying you can apply that to the other aspects.

Make sure your basket is deep enough to carry what you need. In personal relationships, quality and closeness are determined by the depth of understanding. The only thing worse than a surface skimmer in a relationship is…well nothing is worse. Those are the people that hover on the surface of the relationship pretending to know how deep the water is, but they are really scared to go to the bottom. They speak of wanting to have “that” bond with someone. Sometimes they reel you in with words and deeds. The problem is when the waters become troubled; the lack of depth causes them to become lost in the breakers and current. If they are in deep with you, surface problems won’t be the end of the world, just another reason to go deeper.

Make sure your basket has the appropriate handles. Relationships do not last when there is nothing to commit to. It might carry on for a while, but carrying on is not the same as lasting. It is not possible to easily carry a basket without the appropriate handles on it. It’s a tragedy waiting to occur. In this case, a handle refers to a characteristic needed to make everything work out right. Let’s just say that the basket has four points of connections. Those four points would be faithfulness, respect, fairness, and compassion. If those connection points are secure, carrying that basket is an easy chore. If any one of those connection points is loose, you can bet that your basket will tip in that same direction resulting in difficulty at best and catastrophe at worse.

Make sure your basket has a little padding on the inside. Remember that we are using this basket to carry eggs. There is no way to safely carry eggs in a basket with a brick bottom likewise there is no way to place your emotional eggs in the care of someone with a rock heart. While the brick bottom is strong enough to support the eggs, the physical characteristics make it impossible for something like an egg to be jostled on it. The same rules apply to a person with a rock heart. They are strong enough to support you, but when there is a journey (adversity or misunderstanding) the hardness of their heart will cause them to either refuse to help at all or bail out altogether. In either one of those scenarios all of the eggs end up cracked or broken completely.

Make sure your basket is made of the appropriate material. This can usually be done with a visual inspection. We all know what sturdy material looks like and how it behaves. It is a little but sometimes overlooked detail. Rules of similar fashion apply in relationships too. It’s the little things that count. Sometimes they count towards the good, and sometimes they count towards the bad. Well wishes, timely affection, shows of concern, shows of disregard, tiny snide comments, and disrespect all merge to determine the material of the basket. Do they kick you when you are down and in need or do they understand times of stress and uncertainty in your life? Do they love to tell you and hate to hear? The answers to those questions will help to determine what type of material your basket is made of.  Note to self: pretty does NOT mean quality.

If your basket has enough depth, the right handles, some padding on the inside, and made of good material, you actually have a chance to make a trip with your eggs. Without the proper basket there is no reason to even attempt the voyage. The truth about it is, you may fall along the way but a good basket will ensure that you don’t break every egg you have. If you have a sorry basket… I hope you like omelets.