Adventures in Being

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a
reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now
retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about
stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the
professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot
chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some
plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help
themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
"Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only
the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot
chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even
hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not
the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began
eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position
in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life.
The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you
have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the
hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man
chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love
generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.




*Thanks Aunt Debbie.