"Live your own hot pot"...
..."Don't try to live vicariously through someone else's."
Interested?
These were words spoken to me by my wise and humorous husband. We had gone to the Carrefour, which is basically like WalMart. (We love it by the way.) While in the building, we decided to get something to eat. We picked this place that was in the shopping mall, so it wasn't a street vendor. (so...you can't actually see the rat.) That was the part that enticed me most about it.
It turned out it was a hot pot restaurant. That means there is a pot in the middle of the table. It has chicken broth in it. Then you order stuff to put in the pot that gets boiled right there in front of you and then you eat it. Think fondue. Only with this you eat it like a soup and you let it all hang out in there.
I will be honest with you. I did not want to eat the hot pot with Troy. Troy likes to eat really gross things. I figured he would be happier if he just went crazy with the hot pot, and I ordered something I could recognize. I figured he would get chicken feet and other various parts of things and have at it. That was not going to be possible he informed me because the hot pot is not a one person endeavor. It makes too much for one person. You have to eat it together, or don't get it. This made me feel bad because he seemed really excited so I said "let's do it." We ordered the suggested vegetable tray and the suggested meat tray (nothing too crazy) and we were off.
What I ended up with was a bland soup with pork, squid, shrimp and some other various items including vegetables. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't all that good. So I sat there and ate. While we did, I started looking at all the other tables and seeing what they were ordering for their hot pot. The table next to us looked particularly good so I kept looking over there rather wistfully. At this point, it was clear that I was not really loving the hot pot. It was also apparently very clear that I was coveting the hot pot across the aisle.
It was then that Troy said the immortal words listed above. "Live your own hot pot, don't try to live vicariously through someone else's." After I stopped laughing, I thought "what a great blog."
How often do we do that. We set our course making decisions. Sometimes completely on our own. Sometimes we just want to please our loved ones. The problem arises when we get the results and we are not fully satisfied with how things turn out. We look around and see something better and long for it.
Live your own hot pot! Do something about the pot you've got in front of you. Make it better or learn to appreciate it for what it is. Either way it's your hot pot. You can do something about it. It's never too late. Pray. Ask God for help. He will be glad to help you with your hot pot. It is meant to help feed others as well. Make sure you have in your hot pot what you want in there. Get out the things you don't want in there.
Maybe your married and your sharing your hot pot. In that case, there will be compromise that is necessary, but it can work and it can taste great. You can change the world with your hot pot if you mix it up properly.
OK, you get the point. I'm running away with the analogy now. I just thought it was profound.
I might not have fully enjoyed the hot pot that we had at the restaurant the other day, but I love my life. I have sought God and found out the things about myself that helped me to find out what I am made to do. It took some time and a whole lot more to get here, but I'm here now. Each of us has the same opportunity and has access to the same help. Take advantage of it and live the best life you can.
Interested?
These were words spoken to me by my wise and humorous husband. We had gone to the Carrefour, which is basically like WalMart. (We love it by the way.) While in the building, we decided to get something to eat. We picked this place that was in the shopping mall, so it wasn't a street vendor. (so...you can't actually see the rat.) That was the part that enticed me most about it.
It turned out it was a hot pot restaurant. That means there is a pot in the middle of the table. It has chicken broth in it. Then you order stuff to put in the pot that gets boiled right there in front of you and then you eat it. Think fondue. Only with this you eat it like a soup and you let it all hang out in there.
I will be honest with you. I did not want to eat the hot pot with Troy. Troy likes to eat really gross things. I figured he would be happier if he just went crazy with the hot pot, and I ordered something I could recognize. I figured he would get chicken feet and other various parts of things and have at it. That was not going to be possible he informed me because the hot pot is not a one person endeavor. It makes too much for one person. You have to eat it together, or don't get it. This made me feel bad because he seemed really excited so I said "let's do it." We ordered the suggested vegetable tray and the suggested meat tray (nothing too crazy) and we were off.
What I ended up with was a bland soup with pork, squid, shrimp and some other various items including vegetables. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't all that good. So I sat there and ate. While we did, I started looking at all the other tables and seeing what they were ordering for their hot pot. The table next to us looked particularly good so I kept looking over there rather wistfully. At this point, it was clear that I was not really loving the hot pot. It was also apparently very clear that I was coveting the hot pot across the aisle.
It was then that Troy said the immortal words listed above. "Live your own hot pot, don't try to live vicariously through someone else's." After I stopped laughing, I thought "what a great blog."
How often do we do that. We set our course making decisions. Sometimes completely on our own. Sometimes we just want to please our loved ones. The problem arises when we get the results and we are not fully satisfied with how things turn out. We look around and see something better and long for it.
Live your own hot pot! Do something about the pot you've got in front of you. Make it better or learn to appreciate it for what it is. Either way it's your hot pot. You can do something about it. It's never too late. Pray. Ask God for help. He will be glad to help you with your hot pot. It is meant to help feed others as well. Make sure you have in your hot pot what you want in there. Get out the things you don't want in there.
Maybe your married and your sharing your hot pot. In that case, there will be compromise that is necessary, but it can work and it can taste great. You can change the world with your hot pot if you mix it up properly.
OK, you get the point. I'm running away with the analogy now. I just thought it was profound.
I might not have fully enjoyed the hot pot that we had at the restaurant the other day, but I love my life. I have sought God and found out the things about myself that helped me to find out what I am made to do. It took some time and a whole lot more to get here, but I'm here now. Each of us has the same opportunity and has access to the same help. Take advantage of it and live the best life you can.
posted by Troy and Grace Elliott at Friday, February 29, 2008
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