Do you want the hot chocolate? Or the cup?

I was searching for images of hot chocolate and found a great post (here). I have not poked around his site but wanted to share the post with you as I was encouraged to do.

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.

Isn't that an interesting take on life? How many times have we looked at the "container"? Talk about not judging a book by it's cover! Here is some more...

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best 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
Enjoy your hot chocolate

And share this with the people you love

Back to me....Isn't this a wonderful way to go through life? Aim for simple pleasures, such as a good book and a cup of hot chocolate...with friends.

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011