I was finishing lunch one day when as I collected all the remnants of what I had just devoured and realized I was about to scoop up an unused ketchup packet along with the rest of the trash. As I placed that packet in my hand I suddenly felt shame in what I was about to do. Throwing out this packet was surely a very wasteful decision I was about to make. For some reason I began to think about the journey that packet had taken and the impact my decision of sending it to the trash was about to make.
I started to humanize the ketchup packet. I began to wonder about its origin story. What factory was it made in? When did it begin its life? I also contemplated how excited it must have been to make its way somewhere to fulfill its life purpose of bringing joy to someone in the form of a delicious condiment. And then despair set in. Who am I to end this packet’s journey without allowing it to fulfill its purpose and send it to die a useless life. As strange as it sounds I felt some emotion in that decision I was about to make and couldn’t follow through disposing of the packet. So instead I placed the packet in a drawer so it could live to create joy another day.
Stay tuned for next time when I discuss the massive packet purge incident.
[Disclaimer: Because I know you’re wondering… I was not under the influence of any mind altering substances when the thoughts in this story entered my mind]