Hot Chocolate
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old high school teacher, 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 Jennifer at NickerNoodle’s NonSense for this great post…I love it and love the simplicity of the story!
Going for a cup of cocoa,
Great post – that is so true!
My friend just e-mailed that to me today, but it was coffee. very true. live simply, life is to short and precious:)
I love Hot Cocoa (and COFFEE!), but I never thought about the cup I picked to enjoy it in until now.
First, I love this post…I have never really thought about it that way, but really is oh so true.
I just received your post on the RuffleBlog and I am SO excited! I can not believe I have found another small town KY gal living in this crazy South Florida world! Thanks for the words of encouragement, and please be sure to keep in touch!!
Amber
RuffleButts.com