When Babe's Away

Babe's been away since Tuesday. He's in Spore and he'll be back tomorrow or rather tonight. My days have been filled with socializing with the girls. But it was interesting when Mel said that it took her 3 years to find a nice group of friends and I thought about it, well, it's true. And I'm glad with the friends that I've now. Not asking for more. I'm really thankful for the friends and the life that I have now. God has truly blessed me.

This morning I went to work and we had a professional development day. The pastor in charge of our school started the day by sharing this story with us. I truly felt inspired and blessed and at the same time, there were many thoughts running through my head.

Hot Chocolate

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

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
"Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only
the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
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. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not
the cup; but you consciously went for 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
in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The
cup you 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 that has been provided us. The hot chocolate is there for the
taking, man chooses the cups.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

It was a really nice story. It is so true, my life is like the hot chocolate and yes, the cup just holds my cup. And the reality is that clamoring after a better cup does create issues for me. Years ago, or actually, now still, but I promise, I'm much better, I was a shopaholic. And the reality was that, each time I buy something, I tell myself that I'll be happier. And yes, just another little something. And the something list never ended. But thank God, I learnt early before it was too late. And the truth is that, it's never always true that the rich is happier. And keeping up with the Jones only causes more debt for one.

With the story, contentment and taking time to enjoy life are far more important. God has given us our lives but we choose how we want to live it. We can live in the rat race by chasing after material wants and getting what the Jones or Tans or Wongs have and getting it bigger than them but will that truly make us happy?
I am truly thankful and grateful for my life now. I've got my Babe and to me, that's more important than anything. I never wanted a richer husband. What's the point of having riches but not the love of my husband?