HOT CHOCOLATES

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at areunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in theirwork and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into thekitchen 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: "Noticethat all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plainand cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best foryourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you'redrinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most casesit is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What allof you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously wentfor 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 insociety are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cupyou 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 hasprovided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiestpeople don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everythingthat they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Andenjoy your hot chocolate.