The 100 Years Club Installment #20: Plugging Holes

I used to keep my healthy snacks in a separate drawer in my kitchen.

When I looked “outside the drawer” and started opening other cabinets, I knew something was missing in my life (other than carbs and sugar). An emotional eater, I often “plugged the holes” in my life by overeating.

We, as humans, are like Swiss cheese (or Jarlsberg, if you’re a fancy type). We have many holes — large and small — in our lives and souls and often try to compensate by doing things that may not be good for us in the long run.

Retail therapy (overspending), drinking too much, and promiscuity are also often behaviors linked to holes in the soul and boredom.

As you seek balance in your life, you must first pinpoint what’s missing.

Just as vitamin deficiencies or lack of sleep can lead to poor health and hunger and gas cause babies to scream, gaps in your life can impact other aspects of your behavior, moods, and relationships.

As we age, new holes appear. Marriages and jobs end, kids grow up, we move to new places, and loved ones die. We mourn, we adjust, and we move on. Over time, our ability to quickly rebound from loss often becomes stronger.

Sometimes, we just need to learn to live with the holes for a while and create a long-term plan for plugging them.

But, in the interim, simple things like reading, writing, socializing, traveling, crafts, cooking, exercise, or even just organizing your junk drawer can be good ways to make you feel productive and accomplished.

Keep a short list of things that bring you joy, and when you’re feeling “hole-y” pick one of those temporary sealants!