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!''
The happiest people don't have the best
of everything; they just make the best of everything... 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.