The Cup on the Shelf

 There’s a fine china teacup tucked away on the highest shelf of my cabinet. It’s delicate and beautiful, and I almost never use it. I’ve taken great care to protect it over the years. It has stayed there, untouched, like a treasure saved for a special occasion that never quite arrives.

The past couple of weeks were particularly hectic—overflowing with work, committments, and fatigue. My kitchen sink had become a minor disaster zone. Dirty dishes towered, and when I finally went to grab something to drink from, I realized every single glass, mug, and cup had already been used. The only things left were bowls… and that teacup.

I looked up at it and hesitated. I hadn’t touched it in years, but now it was my only option. As I reached toward the shelf, I noticed the resistance. I was afraid to use the cup—not because of inconvenience, but because I was scared I might break it.

It struck me how odd that was. Why had I gone through all this effort to protect something, only to leave it unseen, unused and unappreciated? I stood there a moment longer, trying to make sense of the feeling. And then it dawned on me: I wasn’t just afraid of breaking the cup. I was afraid of losing something I had deemed too important, and too irreplaceable to fully experience.

But isn’t that what life is, really? One long series of risks? What are we protecting, exactly, when we guard beauty so tightly that we never let it breathe? What is the point of preserving something forever if we never let it serve the purpose it was made for?

In that moment, I threw caution to the wind, reached up, gently took the cup from the shelf, and held it in my hands.

Now,  you might ask—did I break the cup? Did I drink from it?

The truth is, I could have broken it. And if I had, would that have meant I made a mistake? Would I have collapsed in regret, scolding myself for reaching too high?

But what if I didn’t break it? What if it held steady and did exactly what it was made to do?

That’s the thing about the parts of ourselves we keep tucked away. We think we’re protecting them, when really, we’re depriving them of light.

So yes, I drank from the cup.

And it didn’t break.