a young woman went to her mother & told her about her life & how things were so hard for her. she did not know how she was going to make it & wanted to give up. she was tired of fighting & struggling. her mother filled three pots with water & placed each on a high fire in the kitchen. soon the pots came to a boil. in the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs & in the last, she placed ground coffee beans. she let them sit & boil, without saying a word.
in about 20 mins, she turned off the burners. she fished the carrots out & placed them in a bowl. she then pulled the eggs out & placed them in a bowl. then she ladled the coffee out & placed it in a bowl. turning to her daughter, she asked, "tell me, what do you see?"
"carrots, eggs & coffee," she replied. she brought her closer & asked her to feel the carrots. she did & noted that they were soft. she then asked her to take an egg & break it. after pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. the daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity-boiling water, but each reacted differently. the carrot went in strong, hard & unrelenting. however, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened & became weak. the egg had been fragile. it's thin outer shell had protected it's liquid interior. but after sitting through the boiling water, it's 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?"
are you the carrot that seems strong? but with pain & adversity, do you wilt & become soft & lose your strength? are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heart? do you have a fluid spirit but after a hardship or a trial, you become hardened & stiff? or are you like the coffee bean? which changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. when the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance & flavour of your life. if you're like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better & change the situation around you. when the hours are the darkest & trials are the greatest, do you elevate to another level? how do you handle adversity? are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life & flavour to them?
are you a carrot, egg or a coffee bean?
after i read this story, i pondered over this question... am i a carrot, egg or a coffee bean? this story shows how well you handle adversity... ppl out there who are reading this, do think about it... just a penny for my thoughts...
His princess... out
@ |12:24 PM|