A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers,
got together for a visit with their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of
work and life in general.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon
returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups:
porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some
quite exquisite.
Quietly he told them to help
themselves to some fresh coffee.
When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old
professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the
small gathering, ''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups
were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it
is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is
actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."
He continued, ''Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the
coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink.
What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you
instinctively went for the best cups ... Then you began eyeing each
other's cups ....Now consider this:
Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They
are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does
not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live.
"Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that
God has provided us ... God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the
cups.
"Enjoy your coffee!''
footnote:
The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the
best of everything they have.
So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak
Kindly. Leave the Rest to God.
And remember - the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the
one who needs the least.
