A group of university graduates visited their old professor. During their visit, the conversation turned to work. The graduates were complaining about their problems and stress in work and in life. After offering coffee to the guests, the professor went to the kitchen and came back with a coffee pot and a tray (托盘), crowded with many different cups: porcelain, glass, plastic and crystal.

Some cups were simple, other ones expensive. The professor asked them to pick out their cups first. When the graduates picked out their favorite cups, the professor explained: “Notice how all the beautiful cups were picked out and the simple and cheap ones were left.”

“Wanting only the best things for yourself is the source of your problems and stress. You need to understand that the cup doesn’t make the coffee better. Actually, all that you wanted was the coffee, not the cup. But you consciously (有意识地) chose the best cups, and then looked to see what cups other picked.”

“Life is the coffee. Your job, money, position in society...they are the cups. The type of cup doesn’t determine (决定) the quality of life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cups, we forget to enjoy the taste of coffee. The happiest people are not those who have the best things, but those who enjoy life and make the most of what they have.”

Hearing this, the graduates were speechless. They had learned another important life lesson from their old professor- that true happiness means enjoying life and not worrying about unimportant things.

Even though my grandfather was a farmer, my grandmother would iron his work clothes every day.

Because I watched her do this through my childhood, I figured every old woman in the world did it. But as the years passed, I began to question this practice. Why in the world did grandfather need his work clothes ironed? Most days, he never saw anyone but me and maybe a few other crusty (易怒的) farmers.

Grandmother never ironed my clothes, and I surely didn’t see any use in doing it for myself. My clothes were usually so dirty by 9 a.m. that any sign of ironing would be long gone.

One day when I was about 13, I asked grandmother about it. I wanted to know why she thought it necessary to devote time and effort to pressing clothes that were rarely seen and would be dirty in just a short time.

Her reply was as sweet a sentiment as I have ever heard.

She told me that grandfather was the most handsome man in the world. She loved every chance she got to show him off and make the rest of the world jealous (妒忌) that he was hers.

She said, “I want him to feel beautiful. I iron his clothes every day because for all these years, he has made me feel beautiful. He is a man worthy of respect.”

The years went on, and I watched grandmother and grandfather grow old together. I was probably 30 when I understood what beauty really was---it was grandmother ironing grandfather’s clothes happily.

A Walk in the Garden

One day, Lily walked with her mother and came to a pretty garden. Lily looked in. She saw clean roads and beautiful flowers. She turned to her mother and said, “Mum, come and look at this pretty garden. I hope I can open the gate and walk in.”

The gardener heard what Lily said, and kindly invited them to come into the garden. Her mother thanked him, and then said, “Lily, if I take you into this garden, be sure not to touch anything in it.” Along the roads, Lily looked at everything, but she walked carefully so that she didn’t touch anything she saw.

The gardener was much pleased with what Lily did, so he showed her the seeds and told her the names of different flowers and plants.

While Lily was enjoying the beauty of a flower, a boy came to the gate. Finding it locked, he shook it hard. But it would not open. Then he shouted, “Let me in! Let me in! Will you not let me in this garden?”

“No!” said the gardener. “I will not let you in, because yesterday when I let you in, you pulled some of my fruit and messed up my garden.” The boy felt sorry and went slowly away.

Lily realized it is polite to take care of what does not belong to her, and she felt so much happier when she got the flowers as a gift from the gardener.