Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee?
A young woman went to her mother to tell her about 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 that when one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen, where she filled three pots with water. 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 20 minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and put them in a bowl. She pulled out the eggs and placed them in another bowl. Then, she ladled the coffee into two cups, one for herself and one for her daughter.
Turning to her daughter with the two cups of coffee, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”
“Coffee, eggs, and carrots,” replied the daughter.
The mother told her to feel the carrots. She did so, noting that they were soft. The mother then told her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, Mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — the boiling water — but each had reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting; but after being boiled, they softened and became weak. The eggs had been fragile,their thin outer shells protecting their liquid interiors. But, after sitting through the boiling water, their insides became hard. The ground coffee beans, however, were unique. While in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” the mother questioned her daughter.
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When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Are you a carrot that seems strong but, with pain and adversity, becomes soft and loses its strength? Or, are you an egg that starts with a malleable heart that becomes hardened with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit that, after death, a breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial, becomes hard and stiff?
Or, are you 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 bean’s 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 hours are the darkest and trials at their greatest, do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Makes you think Doesn't it????
A young woman went to her mother to tell her about 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 that when one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen, where she filled three pots with water. 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 20 minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and put them in a bowl. She pulled out the eggs and placed them in another bowl. Then, she ladled the coffee into two cups, one for herself and one for her daughter.
Turning to her daughter with the two cups of coffee, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”
“Coffee, eggs, and carrots,” replied the daughter.
The mother told her to feel the carrots. She did so, noting that they were soft. The mother then told her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, Mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — the boiling water — but each had reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting; but after being boiled, they softened and became weak. The eggs had been fragile,their thin outer shells protecting their liquid interiors. But, after sitting through the boiling water, their insides became hard. The ground coffee beans, however, were unique. While in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” the mother questioned her daughter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Are you a carrot that seems strong but, with pain and adversity, becomes soft and loses its strength? Or, are you an egg that starts with a malleable heart that becomes hardened with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit that, after death, a breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial, becomes hard and stiff?
Or, are you 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 bean’s 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 hours are the darkest and trials at their greatest, do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Makes you think Doesn't it????
