Life is like a box of chocolates
You never know what you’re going to get.
Our neighbours gave us a large box of chocolates for Christmas. Now they’re all nearly gone. Before you open a box of chocolates, you may or may not know what’s inside. And I’m assuming that Forrest Gump was talking about an assortment of chocolates. I can’t even remember the movie, fail. But I’m pretty sure they didn’t tell us what was in the box of chocolates. Let’s just assume it was an assortment.
Most chocolate boxes that have an assortment of flavours have some fancy cut-out window lined with plastic sheet, so that you can peer at what’s inside. Most of the time you can barely see anything through the window, and you get a glimpse of about two individually wrapped chocolates, before you realise that it doesn’t really matter what box you’re going to get. Even if you get a peek, you can’t tell what the rest of the box holds.
Personally, I like those boxes of chocolate. I like an assortment. While I hate being spoiled for choice, and though I’m extremely indecisive, when you look at those little guides on the back of such chocolate boxes, you get a good glimpse of what may be inside.
With the large box we got from our neighbours, my mum looked at the guide and decided that she only liked one flavour. But most people like chocolates, so we decided to open it instead of arguing over which flavours we were going to steal when we opened it.
We emptied the box out on the table and looked at all the flavours. Ironically enough, there was only one individually wrapped chocolate of the flavour my mum liked. One.
Every time my brother decided to grab some chocolates, he would choose a bunch of the flavours he liked. He took nearly all the peppermint ones. Admittedly, I did that too. I took all the peanut ones. I thought the orange ones would be nice, too, so I grabbed a bunch. They were disgusting. :(
Yesterday, instead of picking out the flavours I liked, I put my hand in and took out four – one by one – without looking. When I looked at them, they were the same. Now I could go into some mathematical probability equations right now, but the probability of getting a certain flavour out of a certain number of different flavours is not my point. My point is, sometimes you just don’t know what you are going to get.
One might argue that Forrest Gump is wrong, and once you open the box, you know exactly what is there. But if you think about it, even though you know what you see – you only think you know what you see. Is every peppermint chocolate going to taste the same? Are the orange chocolates going to taste the same as others you’ve tasted? Do you even know how this individually wrapped piece of chocolate tastes before you have tasted it? No.
Life is much the same. Maybe we start with a box. We start with something. This thing gives us a view of what is down the road ahead. The window on the box of chocolates gives us a glimpse of what is on the inside. But one thing leads to another. You might be like my mother. Go with what looks good. What looks good based on what she knows and has tried.
You might be like my brother. Go with what is familiar, but take a bunch. Have your options open and make sure you have those options. Or you might do what I did in the end. Just blindly dive into something. Be spontaneous. Grab a random flavour.
Life is like a box of chocolates. It’s unpredictable, with infinite possibilities. Make your life yours. ♥️
Comments on this post
Amanda
Hmmm yeah I’ve always liked that saying, apart from the fact that it’s on the overused and cliche side. But i totally get what you’re saying though – sure you never quite know what you’re going to get, but it depends how you live your life as to what kind of pool of outcomes will be available to you…
Lilly
That is like an amazing metaphor /ehh Whenever I buy a box of chocolates, I make sure that they have caramel in them, and peanuts, just because I’m a bit picky about chocolate. But I guess that’s pretty much how I handle life – I always go for what I know will be good. But sometimes I like to try new things. Anyways, that’s a really interesting way to look at the whole chocolate situation. Food is indeed much like life… thinking about it actually makes me amazed 😰
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Oh that’s very strange. My friend stayed up for 7 days without sleep, and she’s alright. But I’m sorry for your friend :( & getting nicer clothes is on my resolutions too xD
Lily
I definitely love chocolates. When I feel upset, I just eat chocolate because somehow it makes me feel better. :)
I like assortment chocolates as well because you get to taste all the different flavours in one box. Sometimes they give you an interesting mix too. I never really read guides on the back of the boxes because no matter how scrumptious they describe the chocolates, you’ll never know for sure if it’s good unless you taste them yourself.
Your could try to encourage your mum to try other flavours of chocolates too so she could discover new tastes that she might like/enjoy. It’s no fun if you only stick to one thing and couldn’t be bothered to try something else.
I do that too- grabbing all the chocolate flavours I like as much as I could, simply because if you have a favourite you like, you just can’t get enough of it until you chuck every pieces from the box in your mouth. Ugh, I hate deserts flavoured like orange. I mean I love the orange fruit itself, just not when it’s being made for something else. They taste so artificial (even though the label says made 100% from it) and yes, disgusting.
I should probably try picking chocolates by random like you did too and see what I might get. Haha, that’s funny how you got all the ones you picked of the same flavour!
Sometimes I’m like your mother, go with what looks good and sometimes I’m like you, who dives to try for new things. It depends in what kind of situation I’m involved in, really.
Yeah, life is very unpredictable. You think you know stuffs and believe it’s gonna happen but the next day, you find out it’s completely the opposite.
james
LAHF IS LAHK A BAWX OF CHAWCLATS.
They should make the exteriors and the interiors of these assorted chocolates different; as in, one that looks like another one (which was peppermint) may be orange! That would be more assorted, as the permutations of possible filling/exterior combinations increases exponentially. /hrb
And well, there aren’t infinite possiblities. /um !
I’d hate to dive into a box with infinite chocolates in it D:
Oh, and what flavour did your mum like?
‘Savoury.’
Eww.
(Y)
Jea Marie
You’re right.
Life is like a box of chocolates. (H)
The cousin of my mom’s friend gave me a box of chocolates. I consumed it. XD
I ♥ chocolate.
When our teacher gives us a box of chocolate, my classmates and I argue what flavor to get once it opens. We say “Na-na” so that no one gets the flavor we wanted.
No offense, but it’s pretty funny for me that your mom only liked one flavor out of the rest in that LARGE box of chocolates.
Wow. I hate that moment when you thought that flavor you got was yummy, but when you tasted it, bleh. /ehh
Lilian
Hello!
I LOVE Forest Gump! :) It’s such a heart-warming movie. I mean, sad and tragic at times, but the ending is like /faw 😢 . And I guess I just have a soft spot for any kind of fiction that attempts to increase understanding of mental disabilities and draws attention to the problems sufferers face like that.
Ohhh! Chocolate. No one gave US a box of chocolate for Christmas. My mum got a box of shortbread biscuits, gingerbread and a chocolate stocking, but all of it remains unopened on account of my cursed diet. Everytime I open the fridge, it’s like a massive fight with my willpower to NOT open that damn stocking and eat the big Time Out bar. /angry
Haha, I miss those kinds of chocolate boxes! I want to open a box of assorted chocolate and pick random ones to see which one I get! Even if I totally look them up on the box first :P. Like with Roses. I always eat the caramel and strawberry filled ones first :P.
Your poor mum! I’d have been heartbroken if the whole box only had ONE chocolate I liked :(. And how funny. Of all the four chocolates you picked out, they were ALL the same :P. The probability of that happening is probably not very huge? LOL, I can’t even remember how to calculate XD.
Forest Gump is totally right. You DON’T know what you’re going to get with life, no matter how much research you do (look up chocolates on the box? Hahaha!) or no matter WHAT you plan. He was one WISE person :P.
But life is AWESOME :D. Live life to the full. Like Mr Gump XD.
Georgie
I don’t remember too much of the movie, but I like it too! ;) I think I’m a real sympathiser with characters in those kinds of movies. Forrest Gump was just on television on the 50 to 1 show. I don’t know why… but I heard the music and the quotes from my room. :D
Next time I’ll give you a box of chocolates! Roses are one of my favourites, for sure. I love the caramel ones, but now I don’t remember what’s in the Roses box anymore. Favourites are another kind of assortment… I love the Crunchies.
Well I don’t think there was the same amount of every flavour! But on the box, it did say that in the unlikely event that there are no chocolates of a certain flavour, they would be happy to replace it. But they were all there and it was a gift anyway… so we didn’t bother. ;)
Larissa
Hiya Georgie! ~Happy New Year~ :)
Oh I love Forrest Gump, it is such a heat warming film although it always makes me cry. T_T
And that line has to be one of my favourites from the film. hehe :)
Mmm… chocolates. You’ve just reminded me I still have a big box left from Christmas that I need to get started on. hehe :D
Aw, I love the whole metaphor for this post. You are right. Life is unpredictable and we never quite know what is ahead. ^__^
Take care!
PS. I voted for Heartdrops on the little competition you tweeted about. ;) Good luck!
xxx
Lauren
As soon as I saw the title of this blog I immideiately though Forrest Gump!. I love that movie. x]
I don’t like boxes of chocolates because I only like plain chocolate. I hate mint, I hate orange, strawberry, crunchy, dark chocolate, white chocolate, truffles, fudge… I just like nut and plain chocolate. XD
I rarely eat out of a box of chocolates and I would never be spontenuous about it incase I got an orange one. O_O I’m really fussy.
Thanks! :) I got a bit more sleep then usual last night. I’ll probably try listening to music (I’ll check out that band you told me!) cos I hate tea! Ew.
WHY DID YOU NOT PUT UP CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS? D: I love decorations. :D Do you not celeberate Christmas?
Oh, what’s your photoblog? I love looking at peoples photos. 😝 I think I’ll use the domain I won for a photoblog. :D Since I got my camera on Christmas day I have been taking photos every day, too! I have 60-something photos taken in just over a week. XD
I’ve never been drunk before either but I am only fifteen. Although sometimes people think I’m lying when I say I haven’t been drunk yet… o.o
Yeah me too! They’re the best ones. ^^
Simone
I’ve always heard that saying but never have I actually sat and wondered what it really mean’t so thanks. You explained it wonderfully and I agree with you 100%.
I don’t really like boxes of assorted chocolates tho. Whether I know what’s in them are not, most of them are usually nasty to me. Especially ones with a flavored filling.
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I hope 2011 will be a good year. It’s starting off badly though.
I plan on blogging regularly again but we’ll see how this goes.
Yes, it’s best I love myself before others and put a slight guard up. It’s the best way for me not to get hurt.
Catherine
I love that quote :) Unless it’s like a box of Roses or Celebrations, it is quite interesting seeing what you’re going to find in the box.
The kind of boxes I really like though are just boxes like Roses or Celebrations, where I know I’ll get my Golden Barrow or Milkey Way. Dx I’m quite a picky eater, even when it comes to chocolate, although I love chocolate, some types of chocolate, such as crunchy, I just hate. xD
I agree with that quote though. Although you may know kind of what’s ahead, there’s no way to be 100% sure. And I like the natural surprises in life, like if I was given a chance to look into the future, I wouldn’t even want to take the opportunity.
Liz
I really needed this post. Even though I don’t like chocolate all that much – even more so, an assortment chocolate box – my life sure feels like one. Especially right now. It feels like my mom is back to her old self so much. I feel like I can’t breathe, though. History is starting to repeat itself. :( If I dissappear from blogging for a while, something terrible has happened. /faw 🤬 💥 /wah :( :X O_O @_@ D:
People can change, but
fgjhhdfjkdf
I’ll finish this comment later from my phone.
Tina
Only seen the start of Forrest Gump, so I’m not all in-depth to his cutesy philosophy.
I’m pretty sure all the marzipan chocolates taste the same to me. GROSS. I love confectionery chocolates and I’m really picky. I can only eat the normal chocolates, nougat, caramel, etc, never the licorice, mint, orange, strawberry…
Georgie
I’m open to trying anything but hell, I love nougat, caramel and eclairs! :D Anything unusual and fruity usually doesn’t appeal to me.
Don’t worry, I don’t even remember seeing the whole movie, but it’s so well-known you’ve probably heard clips of the quote around.
Zoe
That’s a very brilliant analysis of that saying! Bravo! 👏 I absolutely agree!
Ashleenah-Page
Wow, I have never really thought about life that way but it so too true. You totally just blew my mind. :)
I only eat caramello (sp?) and dairy milk, but I can only eat about 1 at a time.
The eggs were really pretty, surprisingly. I didn’t think they would. They felt a lot like semi-hardened jelly. :)
I’m not sure if I will be making it to work this week. I’ve been having really bad asthma. :( It’s driving me mad. Every time I cough I end up having an asthma attack and I think I sub-conciously freak out about it. :(
Mum nearly made me go to hospital this morning. :(
brooke
you’ve have pneumonia, wow :O the doctor thought thats what I had until my body was too healthy to have it 😰
Ill try and stick to my p365, its hard though, I dont normally get on the net every day these days, so now I have to try to more often :P
AHAHAH! I hate all orange and lemon filled chocolates :/ I also dislike white chocolate and though I love dark chocolate I am allergic to it. Eating small amounts is ok, just makes me sneeze and get a runny nose. 😏
I really enjoyed this blog (Y) It was quite interesting and real to read (H) Good job lovely ♥
Sage
Forest Gump makes me bawl like a baby when I watch it. I love that movie. I haven’t watched it in so long … It’s ranked up there as one of my favourites though.
Life being a box of chocolates, well that sucks for me because I am allergic to them, might explain my life :P (I like to make jokes about it) … ♥
Amelia
Best interpretation of the famous Forrest Gump quote. I’ve never seen Forrest Gump but the internet has already spoiled most of the movie for me so it is in fact not necessaary to see it. 😝
Gabi
I feel like I’m missing out on a pivotal part of pop culture history by never actually seeing Forrest Gump. I know it’ll make me cry, and I’m more afraid of sad movies than I am of scary ones. CRYING = WEAKNESS. Not really, but I hate crying in public.
Anyway, this was nice. That quote is used all the time (almost too much), but I’ve never really heard anyone actually discuss it. It’s one of those quotes that I’ve always seen left for personal interpretation, but I enjoyed how you broke it down into how you choose which route to take in the chocolate box of life.
I honestly have no idea what route I usually take with life – whether I stick with the familiar, go with what looks the best, or take the spontaneous route. I know with actual chocolates I’m spontaneous. I eat anything and everything (although, I somehow always end up with a bunch of the same kind as well…odd how that works). I wonder if that says something about how I am in real life situations. Hmmm…
Rii
Oh, yes, life is like a box of assorted chocolates, also because it can be bitter or sweet. Delicious or disgusting.
/eee Mmmmm, chocolate. It was really nice of your neighbors to give you a box of chocolates, around here people don’t really know their neighbors unless they’re childhood friends, their kids are friends – or something like that.
XD I like to try many different flavors, but once I like something I’ll just pick that out.
Have fun eating the chocolates!
Georgie
We’ve known our neighbours for seventeen years since we moved here when I was three years old. :D But we haven’t really talked to our other neighbours. A lot of them are new, or we just wave at them and don’t really know them. :P
Rii
Oh, I see. /hehe My next door neighbor we only wave to even though we’ve known them for quite some time now. :) Nobody really waves to anyone unless they know them in my neighborhood. It’s like, silence.
Hehe, it would be nice to have a rug on carpet for more softness. /eee For me all heat is unbearable, because cold is just so nice. I used to hog the fan when I was little, kekeke. Is Indonesia pretty?
Oh, yes, those kind of teddy bears are nice, too. O_O I don’t like the one that’s wearing a sweater, pair of pants, shoes, t-shirt, and yet carrying a dog. Thank you, I’ll try to be more outgoing. Yep, I’ve been shy almost my whole life, unless I’m with my friends. I would try to put myself in the same classes by talking to the guidance people (which everyone does at my school), but I’m too scared because everyone in the office is really mean and yell-y. They look at you as if they’re going to crush you. /bash
Good luck when you start over, I haven’t taken the test yet and still studying, so I can get my license right when I turn 16.
Georgie
Indonesia isn’t that great! I went to a volcano there, which was amazing, but other than that, the streets are so busy, the weather hot – it’s not such a good atmosphere, at least compared to me living here in Australia which is so much better.
You’re welcome! I used to be shy as well. It just took time for me to be more outgoing, and especially if you’re willing. ♥
School is always a bit intimidating, and the people in the office are often mean! I was scared of quite a few teachers in high school because they were so stern. D:
Thank you! And good luck to you when you go for your licence!
Tiara.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen Forrest Gump. That movie was so great though. I liked it. I also love this box. It’s so true. I’m probably like your mother. I take what looks good. =)
Shar
I like that analogy! I’ve actually thought of the exact same thing! I’m the “option” that look STRAIGHT for the chocolate guide to see what the choices are before I even bother picking haha. Talk about cautious. I guess I have had my share of diving in to find that the chocolates just taste like shit (like your orange chocolate incident – I hate orange chocolates).
So Forrest Gump is half right in my books. You will never know what you are going to get unless the box comes with that chocolate guide. Then you have SOME control. One of the only things that you can have control over lol.
Lisa
I saw that movie not too long ago, I do notice that when people are talking about chocolates they instantly say that quote in his voice, my family do lol.
I ate too many chocolates but im boring because I like just the plain.
Did you have a nice new year?
Grysh
I;m not really a fan of chocolates like most people does, well, except for dark chocolates. I’m a sucker for bitter chocolates. Lol.
At first, I thought this blog was purely about chocolate.I was expecting something to happen in the end but then it was more than what i expected. This blog post is one of the many wonderful blogs you’ve written and undeniably my favourite one. I was touched by this post. :)