“Life is Like a Box of Chocolates” (or Hot Chocolate in this case!)
“It makes no difference how many peaks you reach if there was no pleasure in the climb“.
~Oprah Winfrey
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 guest 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 are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it 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 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 they have.
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Enjoy your hot chocolate.
Enjoying every sip,
Chris
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Chris,
This is a great story and you had me up until the last paragraph; however, I felt the need to discuss the the comparison. I see your main point – and agree – but I don’t feel it is a good example for comparison.
With a cup of hot chocolate – no matter what cup you use, the hot chocolate never changes and can not be influenced by the cup. However in the instance of life…If the cup is your job, money, and status, then the cup can certainly affect and influence the quality of that hot chocolate.
The comparison might be better stated as an attitude – something you have control over. “Your attitude about 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 should not define, nor change your attitude about the quality of life you have.”
I feel that it is important for people to make the most of the cards they were dealt, but I also feel that there is nothing wrong with striving to improve your cup for yourself and your family to make that hot chocolate seem sweeter.
Just my thoughts. Love your posts!!!!!
Great point Danielle! Thanks so much for reading and for you comments!