The durable power of Tupperware
The metaphor of Container will help you keep stuff in and keep stuff out
When I look around my kitchen, I see a hodgepodge of Tupperware. I’ve got decorative, Moroccan-patterned ones, an old 1970s one that is lime green and super durable, a bunch half glass, half plastic ones that get the job done, and some of those tall canister ones that have a flip-top lid.
So many containers.
Sometimes I leave food in them too long and things get gross. Other times I forget I’ve stored them in the way back of the cupboard, and then am delighted to find that I DO have red beans for the rice and beans I need to make.
The containers are versatile and varied, but they all do two things: They keep things in, and they keep things out.
I like to think about the deep metaphor of Container like the storage containers scattered around my kitchen. A Container can:
Protect you or trap you (e.g., a good marriage vs. a bad marriage)
Be opened or closed (e.g., your willingness to share your feelings with someone you trust vs. someone you don’t)
Be positive or negative (e.g., you feel snug and secure vs. exposed and vulnerable)
Involve physical, psychological, and social states* (e.g., I feel tired, Nothing is going my way, I’m so glad I joined that mom’s group)
Here are just a few examples of Containers:
Your body
Your home
Your mindset
Your thoughts
Your budget
Your memories
Your stories
Your identity (the label of “single mom” is a container)
Things you store up or leak out (money, energy, goodwill*)
A quick way to determine if something is a Container metaphor is to see if it has boundaries. There is always a clear inside and outside to a Container. It just may not be clear on which side you are standing.
So why does this matter? How does identifying a Container help you when things are tough? It lets you quickly determine what to do next. It helps you make decisions.
Say you’re saving up for something – a new pair of sneakers, a trip, your last credit card payment. You are at the grocery store. You grab a few extra items that weren’t on your list. This puts you over your budget. Right there. That’s the moment. Your budget is a Container. You are choosing to open it up. Is that fancy bar of chocolate and weird herbal water worth the spend? Do you want to take that Container down off the shelf? That choices impacts your future. It’s not just about chocolate and water, it’s about letting things out.
Container of Memories Exercise: Need a pick me up? Try taking a good memory down off the shelf. Open it up. Remember it. The smells, the feelings, the sights, the sounds. All of it. It’s a huge mood booster. You control the narrative. You decide what you want to keep in and what you want to keep out.