I’ve read the Tao Te Ching several times in the past. Lately, I’ve been reading a couple sections before bed when I need a break from whatever else I’m reading at the time.

A few weeks ago I read sections 4 and 5. The first paragraph of section 4 and second paragraph of section 5 stood out to me.

Section 4 paragraph 1:
The Way is a void,
Used but never filled:
An abyss it is,
Like an ancestor
From which all things come.

Section 5 paragraph 2:
Between the earth and sky
The space is like a bellows,
Empty but unspent.
When moved its gift is copious.

In Taoism, the Way is everything and nothing. It’s empty and without form, but everything comes from it and is contained by it.

Reading it this time, I had a different thought. The Way could also stand for all of human potentiality, everything that you, I or we could ever possibly do, become or achieve.

I get a glimpse of this when I exceed my own expectations running, going faster or farther than I previously thought possible. I realize even more of this looking back on other past accomplishments.

I am not complete until the end. My life is not filled. My past has created my present self. It continues to create my future self as the past keeps pace with the present, my becoming. It’s not enough to be incomplete, though. I have to remain open to possibilities, and actively engage.

There is no real limit to my capacity to achieve, only my ability at any given time to see what’s possible. When I open myself to opportunities and harness the unspent energy of my past, in the form of skills, knowledge, training, experiences and more, I can create my own copious gifts.