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A carrot, an egg, and a cup of
coffee......
You will never look at a cup
of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and
told her about her life and how things were so hard for
her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She
was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a
new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.
She filled three pots with
water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she
placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the
last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without
saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee,"
she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked
the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the
daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she
tasted its
rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her
mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: Boiling water, and each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong,
hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it
softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
It's thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the
boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,
however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the
water.
"Which are you?" she asked
her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?" " Are you a
carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and
become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts
with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but
after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some
other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but
on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit
and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When
the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better and change
the situation around you. When the hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you
handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Count your blessings,
not your problems......Putting
others
first makes relationships last.
The happiest of people don't
necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.
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