Post by Yuk YuK on Dec 28, 2005 6:42:16 GMT -5
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 a
boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed
eggs, and 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.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg
and 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. The daughter then
asked."What does it mean, mother?"
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, and unrelenting. However, after
being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its 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 to another
level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Author unknown
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 a
boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed
eggs, and 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.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg
and 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. The daughter then
asked."What does it mean, mother?"
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, and unrelenting. However, after
being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its 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 to another
level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Author unknown
