Fuel Gauges and Keeping the Tank Full

Several years ago I had a car with a broken fuel gauge. Most of the time it was not an issue. Fill up the tank from time to time. Reset the trip odometer each fill up to keep tabs on elapsed miles for that tank of gas. But every now and then I would either not get a full new tank, or I would forget to reset the trip odometer. Having lost track of my informal fuel measures, I was forced to either fill the tank and reset the measures or take my chances. The gas can in the back of the car would tell you that chance-taking was often my choice and sometimes not the most prudent option. (There are few things more automotively embarrassing than running out of gas while at the drive through window at the bank. "Sorry folks, I will be just a moment to run over to the gas station next door.")

What about "devices" that have no gauge? How can we tell our fuel levels? What about physical energy? A friendship? A marriage? The heart? The soul? These things have no fuel gauge, yet keeping the tank full enough is far more important than with a car. All too often I think that I only notice that these other tanks are nearing empty when the engine starts sputtering. Then I just hope that I can get some fuel in the tank before things grind to a halt.

I also notice some crossover effect. If my physical energy tank is almost empty, then I have less reserve for the other tanks. And vice versa. The other day I was out for what should have been a pretty easy run. Not too far and not too fast. But for some reason about five miles in I started feeling like I was running in mud. My legs were heavy and my breathing labored. I was at a loss for this sudden performance decline. After all, it was a regular run that I have done dozens of times before with no problems. And all I was doing in the rest of life was preaching at my church, starting a new business, taking my youngest off to college, and only sleeping about 70% of what I usually need. It was a light bulb moment.

It seems like we cannot manage our fuel outflow nearly as much as we think we can (or maybe it is just me). But the thing that I can manage is my fuel intake. Am I doing the things that are restorative? Refreshing? Re-energizing? Not becoming a recluse or dropping other responsibilities, but being mindful to keep the tank full.

With my car I often did not want to take the time to stop and fill the tank. But in the long run it would have taken less time to stop for gas every now and then than to try to find an open--and close by--gas station when I finally ran it dry. Thanks for the lesson Capri!

Pressing On,
-Ken