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 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.

 

The heck with that - I like my coffee in my stainless Barnies mug with no-spill top