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| "Where are those happy days...they seemed so hard to find..." |
A man went to his favorite patisserie to buy a treat for himself. Let's call this man Ichigo. As he entered the busy pastry shop, he decided to buy his favorite treat - strawberry shortcake. It's a soft sponge cake, topped with whipped cream and slices of - surprise, surprise, strawberries.
Ichigo is a strawberry lover. He enjoys eating his strawberries with everything. For him, the ultimate treat is something that'll let him indulge with strawberry bliss, while giving his tummy a good fill. The strawberry shortcake meets both of those criteria.
As he was about to enjoy the shortcake that he ordered, an old man approached him. "Would you mind if I ask you a question?", the old man asked. Ichigo, surprised by the man's gesture, returned the query. "Certainly sir, but it had to be short. I'm hoping to enjoy this shortcake soon." The old man smiled, "I assure you, good sir." As he sat down across Ichigo, he grabbed a fork and took a piece of strawberry from the shortcake in front of them.
The spectacle brought a shock to Ichigo. Mixed feelings of surprise and annoyance rushed to his head and into his face. "Hey, that's my shortcake!" "I know that full well, good sir," the old man replied, grinning. Ichigo was about to demand an explanation, but the old man proceeded with a question. "Say, which part will you eat first?" Dumbfounded, Ichigo replied, "I'm sorry?" In a calm, slow voice, the old man rephrased the question. "Which part of your shortcake will you eat first? Will it be the cake, or the strawberries on top?
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| Cake only. It's gonna make you full, but you have to admit, it's kinda bland. It needs something else... |
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| Juicy, sweet-tasting strawberries. You and I both know this is too good to let it pass. |
Thinking if this is a trick question, a riddle to test his wit, he quickly gave the best "practical" answer he can come up with. "I'll slice the cake in such a way that I'll be able to eat both." The old man, amused by Ichigo's answer but was not convinced with the strawberry-lover's logic, proceeded to get another piece of strawberry from the shortcake. As Ichigo, upset over the old man's rudeness, was about to exclaim his displeasure, the old man leaned forward and said, "You can only choose one between the two. And I hope you give your answer quickly. You're about to run out of strawberries."
Ichigo, wanting to get to the bottom of things, decidedly threw a question. "Why would you ask such a strange question?" This time, he held the cake to his hands, so as to guard it from the old man. Not wanting to aggravate the young fruit-lover, the old man explained. "I know you love strawberries. It's your most favorite thing in the world. You're crazy about them, and you want to enjoy them as much as you can. Considering the shortcake you're about to indulge in, will it be the first thing you want to enjoy? Or will you save them for last?" The old man added, "take note, you don't have all the time in the world, and fate might not be on your side. Your strawberries might be taken away, before you even have the chance to enjoy them."
I'll stop the story-telling at this point. From here on, I'd like to put yourself in the shoes of Ichigo and decide on the story's ending. If you were him, in exactly the same situation, which part of the shortcake will you eat and finish first?
Our decisions often come down to choices similar to ones above.
In choosing to go with the strawberries right away, you choose to pursue and enjoy the things that you want right away. This means that you'll grab the first opportunity to get what you desire, keeping in mind that thought that there might not be a second chance. It's logical for some people to go with this choice - after all, if you really like it, why waste time before you enjoy it? In the end, though, you might be left with the things that you don't really enjoy (or you enjoy, but not as much as you enjoy the best things).
In choosing to save the strawberries for last, though, you are choosing the opposite side of the spectrum. For some people, saving the best for last is the most exciting decision to take. It makes the experience worth enjoying, because at the end, you'll know you're getting something wonderful. You'll savor every moment that leads to that all-so-sweet climax. However, in reality, things might not go as we dream it to be. These things that we desire, or even the very opportunity to pursue them, may be taken away from us.
If you've reached this part of the post (promise, I thought it's going to be short lol), I'd like you to take some time to think about these two very important choices. We all want to get the best out of life, but in order to do so, we have to be wise in all our decisions. Success and regret are all part of the whole deal - what matters is that we learn and live.
I hope you learned something from this short and sweet story. Let me know what you think. :)
Stay classy, planet Earth.
- Billy
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