02/06/2026
Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates - February 2026
by Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW
If you watched the Forrest Gump movie a few years ago, you probably remember the famous lines, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know just what you are going to get.” And when someone offers you a chocolate from a box of Russell Stover’s, you may remember the Forrest Gump quote as you scrutinize the chocolates while making your selection. After all, chocolates are expensive, and it is important to choose the right one. Sometimes you can tell by how they look. For example, if a chocolate looks “bumpy,” it might contain nuts. So, if you are a “nut-lover,” you may choose a bumpy one, hoping for a chocolate one with a nut in it. Or you may scan the box for one that looks the most appetizing.
More than likely, you make your chocolate choices based on your previous experiences, good and bad. But you may realize you made a poor choice when you munched into a chocolate with an unexpected, strange, fruity flavor! Maybe you said, “Yuck” but ate it anyway. A friend of mine told me about someone who used to test Russell Stover chocolates by poking a hole in the bottom of the chocolates with her finger. Then she could look at or sometimes taste the candy from her “poke” sample. If she did not like a candy, she would put it back in the box for an unsuspecting person who probably never noticed the hole!
If there is a chart inside the box, it makes it easier to decide by matching the candy in the box with the chart. And usually many flavors are listed: almond cluster, orange butter crunch, coconut cream, caramel, molasses chew, maple-nut cream, raspberry cream, and the list goes on. Using a chart is a nicer way than poking the candies!
Unlike a box of chocolates with a chart, life does not come with instructions. We have little or no choice in many situations, and we “never know just what we’re going to get!” If you have experienced the loss of a loved one, your life may feel insecure, unpredictable, even scary!
You may find yourself wondering, “Where do I go from here?” After all, there are no charts or road maps to point out what we should do next. And after a bad life experience, we must not give up. And if we are dealing with sadness after a loss, we must try to remember there are still many “sweet” things in life too—children, grandchildren, friends, the wonders of nature, music, and flowers, for instance. Like a box of chocolates, life holds beautiful and not-so-good experiences.
So, think hard before giving up on life, and don’t give up hope! “Hope is grief’s best music” (author unknown).
Perhaps there are ways that you will personally grow because of what you have gone through—hearts do heal. Yes, “Life is like a box of chocolates,” yucky times and sweet times. So, hang on!
Even through the difficult times, keep on going! It is true that we never know what we are going to get. But remember, there may be some beautiful surprises out there too, waiting just for you!
“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”
Bernard Williams
