Words From A Fortune Cookie
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Last night I read the words that came from a fortune cookie that came with a Chinese take-out meal. I cracked open the fortune cookie, and this is what I read…
“No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.” – Voltaire
I couldn’t stop thinking about this.
Figuring Out Solutions To Problems:
I think he meant that the first step is to identify the problem, which you do by breaking it down into smaller pieces. Because until you look at it in its entirety, you will not be able to figure out the correct answer.
I think we are, at times, overwhelmed by problems, and instead of a blue sky, we see a tornado swirling. We then tend to panic at the sheer enormity of the problem’s appearance.
When you panic, you perceive things through a more emotional lens. I know that when I’m emotional, good judgment typically goes out the window.
You attempt to gather all the answers you can and then follow them wherever they lead. Take a small bite, but don’t attempt to swallow it whole, as it is indigestible.
Words Tucked Inside a Fortune Cookie:
Life is like the words tucked inside a fortune cookie—small and easy to overlook, yet carrying meaning far bigger than their size.
They don’t shout or fully explain themselves. Instead, they offer a hint, a nudge, a gentle reminder that understanding often comes in fragments.
A fortune cookie can be a pause, a brief moment where life asks you to stop and reflect.
It can be hope, small but carrying the possibility of something better ahead. And it can also be comfort, offering a gentle truth when you didn’t know you needed one.
A fortune cookie can also be uncertain; its words are open-ended, just like life’s unanswered questions. Sometimes the message feels perfectly timed; other times it doesn’t make sense until much later.
“Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire
A Fortune Cookie is a Reminder
Most of all, a fortune cookie can be a reminder that even the simplest things can hold meaning. Guidance doesn’t always come quickly, and wisdom often arrives slowly, tucked inside ordinary moments.
Some fortunes feel hopeful, promising joy just ahead, much like the seasons of life when everything seems to line up.
Others are vague or puzzling, mirroring moments when life’s direction is unclear, and meaning is blurred. Often, the truth of the words doesn’t reveal itself immediately; it makes sense only after you’ve lived a little longer.
Like life, a fortune cookie’s words invite interpretation. Two people can read the same fortune and find entirely different meanings, shaped by their own experiences, losses, and dreams.
And just as you don’t choose the fortune you receive, life hands you moments you didn’t expect—asking you not to control them, but to respond with wisdom.
“The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes.” – Voltaire
Can a Fortune Cookie’s Words Have Meaning?
A fortune cookie can have meaning—not because it predicts the future, but because of what it awakens in you.
The words themselves are simple, often general, but the meaning comes from the moment you read them. They function as a mirror, reflecting your hopes, worries, or questions to you. What stands out is usually what your heart is already holding.
A fortune cookie’s meaning is also found in interpretation. Two people can read the same message and feel something entirely different.
The value isn’t in the accuracy of the fortune, but in the pause it creates—the space where you consider where you are and where you might be going.
Sometimes, a fortune cookie matters simply because it reminds us that life is fragile. Meaning doesn’t always arrive in grand revelations. Often, it is just asking us to notice, reflect, and carry the message forward in our own way.
In the end, life, like a fortune cookie, isn’t about the paper itself. It’s about what you take from it, what you believe, and how you let a few simple words guide you forward, one day at a time.
Well, Brenda, don’t beat yourself up over not seeing another doc sooner…mercy me, LOTS of us out there have been badly treated when it comes to medicine. Heh, why do you suppose they call it “practicing medicine”? Well, oft times they are practicing on us!! We saw the specialist’s PA today with Hubby…we were with her 3 hours!! She was asking questions, giving us some helpful information, deciding what tests to order…there is a slew of them. She was astonished that he had not been sent to several specialists before now. So there is an awful lot to do and pay for in near future…most is not covered by medicare and not entirely by insurance either!! But it could even help our offspring to know some things too…I certainly hope you find an excellent CARING doctor…caring is half the battle!!
I’m just amazed that a fortune cookie would have a Voltaire quote! All the Voltaire quotes you included definitely make one think. Don’t berate yourself for not knowing about an orthopedic surgeon. As I like to say, we only know what we know. We need other people to bounce things off of, and to open our minds to new things.
I guess you’re right. Yeah, I was surprised to see a Voltaire quote in the fortune cookie too.
What an interesting fortune in your cookie, lol! More food for thought. Happy Mother’s day to all! 💐
Yes, Happy Mother’s Day to everyone.
Good afternoon and Happy Mother’s Day.
I don’t know if you have access to a teaching hospital attached to a University but it’s worth checking out. Medicare will pay for it as long as the practice accepts Medicare. I was in a very frightening situation and ended up at a teaching hospital and highly recommend trying it if you can. I want you to have the best and get well. 😀
I don’t know. I’ll see if there is a teaching hospital here.
Specialization not speculation.
Good choice of words.
A specialist who is an MD and has a bunch of letters after that is one who has kept current in the area of speculation.
I guess that’s true.
Knowing and admitting there is a problem is first.
Some people work from the part to the whole. Others work from the whole to the part. My suggestion it to get a referral from your primary care physician for an MD who specializes in surgery for ankles and feet.
Read the comments and reviews online. You want one who does many surgeries each year.
😊
A foot and ankle surgeon is who she has been seeing. That’s what she is saying. At this point she’s looking at trying an orthopedic surgeon since the foot and ankle surgeons solution was the brace.
Hi Brenda and Kelly,
Just a thought in regards to Orthopedic surgeon. My older son had a traumatic injury to his lower leg and ankle at work 10
years ago. He had an Orthopedic surgeon assigned to him at the hospital to perform his surgery. Orthopedic surgeons work in group practices and each surgeon specializes in a different part of body. I guess what I’m trying to say is that a foot and ankle surgeon is indeed an Orthopedic surgeon, just like a hand surgeon or a spine surgeon is an Ortho surgeon.
Ortho surgeons deal with bones and joints whether there be issues in regards to deformities, injuries or arthritis to name a few and every Ortho surgeon has a specialty. I hope this clarifies things for you Brenda. I hope that you will soon be able to have relief from your pain.
Unfortunately for my son he may now have arthritis in his ankle and he is soon to be 31 years old but the Ortho surgeon did say it could happen long before his time. As a matter of fact he has an appointment this week with his Ortho surgeon.
Hi Laura, yes I know. But since Brenda’s problems have been ongoing and gotten worse over time, seeing someone outside the narrow specialty of foot and ankle surgery seems prudent( I am aware they are also “orthopedists” and I’m sure Brenda is as well). She can always opt to see another foot and ankle surgeon but like she says, this current one WAS a second opinion. With the leg and hip pain she has, I believe she needs a general orthopedist to at least consult. But of course it’s all up to Brenda and I’m sure all of us wish her the best, whatever she chooses.
Sounds like a good plan.
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope that you are having a lovely day and able to spend time with your daughters.
They couldn’t be with me today. Probably next weekend.
Mother’s Day is every day! You can celebrate next weekend with your daughters!
Happy Mother’s Day.
My theory = Always get a second opinion.
If at first the doctor doesn’t succeed, try try another one.
Thinking of you and wishing you all the good and wonderfilled things .
He actually was my second opinion and I stayed with him for 8 years. Guess it’s time to move on.
That’s so true Jan. You must find the option that works best for you. I find it much easier to accept outcomes if I know that I tried every option. I hope everyone has a wonderful Mothers Day.
I guess I thought I’d tried all the options. But they were just his options.
Happy🌹Mother’s🌹Day to all! I get what you mean. The body aches, not joint pain, that I have come and go. I really like our Doctor and he said I don’t have fibromyalgia. I am looking into Vitamin D deficiency or dehydration. I just go about my day not even thinking about taking a Tylenol to see if that would help. Not too smart.
I take Tylenol Arthritis. Or the generic of it anyway.
It’s not that you didn’t see what you may think is obvious. Sometimes we get settled with a found solution and think that’s our only option. Someone looking in will see a different solution and offer that solution. Now you have new ideas so run with them. Don’t be hard on yourself – it’s ok!
Happy Mother’s Day, Brenda! Have a joy filled day.
Thanks, Darlene. I just hate to meet new doctors. But guess I’ll have to.
Take that egg and make a fried egg sandwich, but keep the chicken to get more eggs. It’s not the chicken or the egg, making a decision is not always a zero sum game. There may be multiple options available and they may all be run through, one by one, until you find the answer that works or fits best for you. I hope you have a wonderful Mothers’ Day, Brenda, and don’t forget to smell the roses 🙂
I try to never forget to smell the roses.