Today I Choose to be Overflowing – How to be Overflowing

The Surprising Truth About How to Be Overflowing

You might think this story about overflowing has something to do with a wedding. But it doesn’t.

Curtis and I had traveled to Lake Wales for the wedding of my best friend’s son—someone I’d watched grow from an adorable, brilliant little boy into an accomplished man. Jesse and Amy were meeting us there. We arrived a day early in our RV and stayed at Canopy Oaks, a sprawling, charming RV park with winding trails.

It was our first trip since Curtis’s near-death hospitalization, and I was more than a little anxious. He was still weak from weight loss, still adjusting to life with an ostomy, and I wasn’t sure how either of us would feel in this “new normal.” When he suggested renting a golf cart, I agreed mostly out of caution. Prudent, I thought.

But what followed wasn’t prudent at all—it was exhilarating. The two of us, who had been so mired in uncertainty, suddenly found ourselves tearing down trails in a golf cart, laughing like kids, stopping to fish, breaking little rules, and rediscovering joy. For hours we rode, free and spontaneous in a way we hadn’t been for months.

And then, as evening fell, we rounded a bend and saw it: the moon, impossibly large, golden, and low in the sky. We just sat there, side by side, in complete awe. Tears welled in our eyes. That single moment—moonlight, laughter, love—was everything. I was overflowing.

Not because life was easy. Not because everything was “back to normal.” But because in that moment, I felt full to the brim with gratitude, joy, and awe. Overflow doesn’t always come when you’ve carefully filled your cup—it often comes when you let life surprise you with more beauty than you thought possible.

Why Traditional Advice About Being Overflowing Misses the Mark

Everything you’ve been told about how to be overflowing might be backwards. The conventional wisdom says you must fill your own cup first before you can pour into others. Take care of yourself, establish boundaries, practice self-care, then—and only then—will you have something to offer the world.

But that golf cart moment taught me something different. Sometimes overflow happens not because we’ve systematically filled ourselves up, but because we’ve opened ourselves to unexpected joy. Sometimes it comes not from careful preparation but from spontaneous presence.

Research from positive psychology shows that our capacity for joy isn’t finite—it’s expandable. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s work on positive emotions reveals that experiences of awe, gratitude, and love actually broaden our awareness and build psychological resources. We don’t deplete ourselves by feeling deeply; we multiply our capacity for more feeling.

The Paradox of Overflow

The most surprising thing about being overflowing is that it often happens when logic says you should be empty. That night at Lake Wales, we had every reason to feel depleted—months of medical crisis, uncertainty about the future, physical exhaustion. Yet there we were, overflowing with wonder at a golden moon.

Neuroscientist Dr. Rick Hanson explains this phenomenon through what he calls “taking in the good.” Our brains are wired to focus on problems and threats, but when we consciously savor positive experiences—even small ones—we literally change our neural pathways. That moment of awe wasn’t just beautiful; it was brain-changing.

This challenges the scarcity mindset many of us carry. We think we only have so much energy, so much love, so much joy to give. But overflow operates on abundance principles. The more deeply we feel, the more capacity we develop for feeling. The more we appreciate, the more there is to appreciate.

What Real Overflow Actually Looks Like

Being overflowing isn’t about having everything together or maintaining constant positivity. It’s not about being “full” in the traditional sense—perfectly rested, perfectly organized, perfectly prepared for whatever comes next.

Real overflow looks like spontaneous laughter when you least expect it. It’s tears of gratitude welling up at unexpected beauty. It’s the feeling that your heart might burst—not from stress, but from sheer appreciation for being alive.

Sometimes it’s as simple as that golf cart ride—two people who’d been through hell, rediscovering play and wonder. Sometimes it’s the recognition that you don’t need to be “filled up” to experience abundance. You just need to be present to what’s already here.

How to Cultivate an Overflowing Life

Stay Open to Surprise: Overflow often comes when we least expect it. That requires staying open even when—especially when—life has been difficult. The most beautiful moments often follow the hardest seasons, but only if we haven’t closed ourselves off to possibility.

Practice Micro-Awe: You don’t need golden moons and golf cart adventures for overflow. Practice noticing small moments of beauty—the way light hits your coffee cup, a text from someone you love, the feeling of clean sheets. These micro-moments of appreciation build your capacity for larger overflow experiences.

Share Abundance Freely: Overflow isn’t meant to be hoarded. When you’re feeling full of joy, gratitude, or love, pour it out generously. Call someone. Compliment a stranger. Do something kind without reason. Overflow multiplies when it’s shared.

Embrace Imperfect Moments: Don’t wait for life to be “perfect” to experience overflow. Some of my most abundant moments have come during imperfect circumstances—like rediscovering joy while adjusting to a “new normal” after health crises.

The Ripple Effects of Living Overflowing

When you live from overflow rather than depletion, everything changes. You stop measuring your capacity and start trusting it. You stop waiting to feel “ready” and start engaging with what’s available right now.

People feel it when you’re operating from overflow. There’s a generosity of spirit, an openness, a willingness to be surprised by beauty that’s infectious. You become someone who notices golden moons and shares the wonder.

That golf cart ride wasn’t just about Curtis and me rediscovering joy. It became a story I’ve shared countless times, a reminder that overflow is always possible, even when—especially when—life has knocked you down.

When Overflow Feels Impossible

There are seasons when overflow feels not just unlikely but almost insulting. When you’re grieving, struggling, or barely keeping your head above water, the suggestion to “overflow” can feel tone-deaf.

But that’s exactly when the true nature of overflow reveals itself. It’s not about forcing positivity or denying difficulty. It’s about remaining open to moments of beauty that coexist with pain. It’s about allowing tears of gratitude to mix with tears of grief.

That night at Lake Wales, we weren’t overflowing because everything was perfect. We were overflowing because we’d learned to hold both the difficulty and the beauty, the uncertainty and the wonder, the fear and the gratitude—all at the same time.

Your Invitation to Overflow

You don’t need a golf cart and a golden moon to experience overflow, though I highly recommend both if they’re available. You just need willingness—willingness to be surprised, to feel deeply, to let beauty touch you even when logic says you should be depleted.

Today, choose to be overflowing. Not because you’ve got everything figured out, but because life is constantly offering moments of unexpected abundance. Not because you’re perfectly prepared, but because overflow often comes when we’re brave enough to be present to what’s already here.

Sometimes the most overflowing moments come not when we’ve carefully filled our cups, but when we’ve emptied ourselves enough to be surprised by joy. Sometimes abundance isn’t about having more—it’s about appreciating more deeply what we already have.

Look for your golden moon moments. They’re there, waiting to overflow your heart when you least expect it.