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. After arriving at his home, each began to boast of their individual successes, and before long old rivalries began to surface. Their only common thread seemed to be bitter complaints about the stresses each of them experienced in their workplaces and in their daily 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.
be Love.
Great post! Your description of “life is the hot chocolate” reminds me of a friend whom I had a conversation of designations after an accountant’s name long time ago. He said those designations don’t define who you are as each person has a variety of different aspects in their life; which is similar to your discussions. He also said when he first met with someone, he would be “hi, nice to meet you, my name is XXX” and he said he won’t go around and tell people about his designations. There is no doubt about how important those designations are as they do at some point add value to an accountant’s career. However, the designations are like the cups discussed in your post, “they are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have”. Not only the accounting designations discussed by my friend or the cups discussed by you, but also there are other things we “wear” or have each day that don’t define who we are, for example, expensive dresses, luxury cars and big houses etc. The quality of life is a feeling that only we know deep in our heart to a question “am I happy”, this answer is not supported or based on any of those external stuff (such as cars, houses, money), but a feeling that only we know. Happy people have good quality of life. A person who is full with love of who he/she is, and happy with where he/she is at now can simply say yes to that question. Take care and be love.
A great perspective. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂