In our life

we spend our precious time working on buying the cup for the chocolate

and we forget to taste  the chocolate

【轉載】The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate (熱巧克力裡的智慧)
 

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.

 一群事業有成的(大學)畢業生在一次校友會上聊天後，決定去探訪他們現已退休的過去的大學教授。

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

在探訪期間，大夥聊著聊著，話題就轉移到彼此對工作和生活壓力的抱怨。

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.

 因為想給賓客們一些熱巧克力喝，教授就進了廚房，端出來一大壺的熱巧克力和各式各樣的杯子 : 有瓷的、玻璃的、水晶的，有的看起來很平凡，也有的很昂貴、很精緻。教授請學生們自己倒熱巧克力來喝。

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:

當每個人手上都拿有一杯熱巧克力的時候，教授說 :

“Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.

你們注意到了嗎? 所有好看或貴重的杯子都被拿走了，

只留下外表平凡和價格便宜的杯子。

While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

雖然想要最好的東西是人之常情，但這也正是你們的問題和壓力的來源。

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.

你們用來喝的杯子的本身並不能提升(你所喝的)熱巧克力的品質。在大多數的情況裡，它只是比較昂貴而已，而且有時候還將我們在喝的東西給隱藏起來了。

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups…

你們每個人真正要的其實是熱巧克力，而不是杯子。但意識上，你們卻都伸手去拿了最好的杯子。

And then you eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this:

甚至很快地，你們開始覬覦其他人手上的杯子。讓我們這樣設想：

Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.

 假設人生是那熱巧克力的話，你們的工作、金錢財富與社會地位就是那些杯子。

They are just tools to hold and contain life.

它們不過是用來承載生活的的器具而已。

The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.

你手上持的杯子既無法定義，也不能改變你生命的品質。

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup,

we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

有時候，因為只注意杯子，我們反而無法享受上帝給我們的熱巧克力。

God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

上帝沖泡了熱巧克力，人們則選擇了他們想用的杯子。

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything.

最快樂的人其實並不擁有一切最美好的事物。

They just make the best of everything that they have.

 他們不過是善處逆境，懂得充分利用與享受所擁有的一切罷了。

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.

簡單地過你的生活，慷慨地付出你的愛，深切地給予你的關心，

和善地對人說話。還有，享受你的熱巧克力!