Dearest Darling Friends, 

Have you ever bitten into a lemon expecting a juicy burst of sweetness, only to be left with a face contorted like a delightful puppy in a car with open windows passing through a wind tunnel at the speed of 100 kms per hour?

That’s the essence of “Chi Ku Shi Fu,” a wise old Chinese saying that translates literally to “Eating Bitterness is Good Fortune.”

Don’t worry, though, this LSM isn’t advocating for a lifetime diet of citrus contortion. It’s actually a belief about embracing challenges, because let’s face it, sometimes the path to success is paved with metaphorical broccoli. (Haha…you would have guessed it by now. I am on a diet.)

Now, imagine life as a giant crispy chocolate chip cookie. Sounds delicious, right? But picture the process of making it.

You gotta sift flour, cream butter and sift through mountains of sticky dough to knead and bake that biscuit. When people are going ooh and aah about your super tasty cookie, you realise you still have the messy oven to clean (the Chi Ku of the Chinese saying).

But here’s the truth: without that kneading (the struggle), you wouldn’t have those warm, gooey pieces of chocolatey goodness. The bitterness is the necessary ingredient for the ultimate reward.

Think about learning a new skill, like playing the guitar. The initial strumming might sound like a cat fight in an alley, leaving your fingers sore and your neighbours ears yearning for mercy.

But persevere through those “bitterness” sessions, and soon you’ll be strumming out your favourite tunes, a melody of triumph replacing the cacophony of struggle.

Our ancestors weren’t wrong when they said “no pain, no gain.” Remember that time you spent hours hunched over textbooks, fueled by hot chocolate and sheer willpower?

You would have groaned a millions times and cursed people who invented this thing called ‘exams’, but that “bitterness” ultimately led to that sweet feeling of acing that exam or landing your dream job.

The bottom line is that the next time you face a challenge that looks like a learning curve steeper than a ski jump, or you have to do a task as tedious as untangling holiday lights (we’ve all been there!), remember “Chi Ku Shi Fu.”

Embrace the bitterness, the struggle, the metaphorical broccoli. Because on the other side of that challenge you will find the most delicious chocolate cookie you’ve ever tasted – the kind filled with the sweet satisfaction of accomplishment.

Now, if reading about the cookies has made you hungry, go ahead and grab a bite. You are a good person and you deserve it all.